Abstract
liver health. β-sitosterol (Bst), a phytosterol, is a functional nutrient with health benefits. β-sitosterol antioxidant
activity protects the liver and kidney from ROS-mediated damage and lipid peroxidation. We evaluated the potential
renoprotective and hepatoprotective effects of orally administrated β-sitosterol in high-fructose diet-fed growing
female rats. Thirty-five 21-day old female Sprague-Dawley rat pups were randomly assigned to and administered
the following treatments for 12 weeks: group I- standard rat chow (SRC) + plain drinking water (PW) + plain gelatine
cube (PC); group II- SRC + 20% w/v fructose solution (FS) as drinking fluid + PC; group III- SRC + FS + 100 mg/kg body
mass (BM) fenofibrate in gelatine cube; group IV- SRC + FS + 20 mg/kg BM β-sitosterol gelatine cube (Bst) and group
V- SRC + PW + Bst. The rats were fasted overnight, weighed then euthanised. Blood was collected, centrifuged and
plasma harvested. Livers and kidneys were excised, weighed and samples preserved for histological assessments.
Plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress, liver and kidney function and renal tubular injury were assessed.
Results High fructose diet fed rats had increased plasma KIM-1, NGAL (p < 0.001) and MDA levels (p < 0.05). Dietary
fructose caused microvesicular and macrovesicular steatosis, and reduced glomerular density, Bowman’s capsule area
and urinary space. β-sitosterol protected against the high-fructose diet-induced hepatic steatosis and glomerular
disturbances without adverse effects on liver and kidney function.
Conclusions β-sitosterol, as a dietary supplement, could potentially be exploited to prevent high-fructose dietinduced
NAFLD and to protect against high-fructose diet-induced renal tubular injury.