Differential Rates of Glycation Following Exposure to Unique Monosaccharides

Abstract

A complication of reducing sugars is that they can undergo Maillard chemical reactions, forming advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) that can induce oxidative stress and inflammation via engagements with the main receptor for AGEs (RAGE) in various tissues. Certain sugars, such as glucose and fructose, are well known to cause AGE formation. Recently, allulose has emerged as a rare natural sugar that is an epimer of fructose and which is of low caloric content that is minimally metabolized, leading to it being introduced as a low-calorie sugar alternative. However, the relative ability of allulose to generate AGEs compared to glucose and fructose is not known. Here we assess the accumulation of AGEs in cell-free, in vitro, and in vivo conditions in response to allulose and compare it to glycation mediated by glucose or fructose. AGEs were quantified in cell-free samples, cell culture media and lysates, and rat serum with glycation-specific ELISAs. In cell-free conditions, we observed concentration and time-dependent increases in AGEs when bovine serum albumin (BSA) was incubated with glucose or fructose and significantly less glycation when incubated with allulose. AGEs were significantly elevated when pulmonary alveolar type II-like cells were co-incubated with glucose or fructose; however, significantly less AGEs were detected when cells were exposed to allulose. AGE quantification in serum obtained from rats fed a high-fat, low-carb (HFLC) Western diet for 2 weeks revealed significantly less glycation in animals co-administered allulose compared to those exposed to stevia. These results suggest allulose is associated with less AGE formation compared to fructose or glucose, and support its safety as a low-calorie sugar alternative.