Research Article Blackcurrant Suppresses Metabolic Syndrome Induced by High-Fructose Diet in Rats Ji Hun Park, 1 Min Chul Kho, 1,2 Hye Yoom Kim, 1,2 You Mee Ahn, 1,2 Yun Jung Lee, 1,2 Dae Gill Kang, 1,2,3 and Ho Sub Lee 1,2,3 1 Hanbang Body-Fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Shinyong-dong, Iksan, Jeonbuk 570-749, Republic of Korea 2 College of Oriental Medicine and Professional Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Shinyong-dong, Iksan, Jeonbuk 570-749, Republic of Korea 3 Brain Korea (BK) 21 Plus Team, Professional Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 540-749, Republic of Korea Correspondence should be addressed to Ho Sub Lee; host@wku.ac.kr Received 13 May 2015; Revised 29 June 2015; Accepted 28 July 2015 Academic Editor: Abbas A. Mahdi Copyright © 2015 Ji Hun Park et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Increased fructose ingestion has been linked to obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension associated with metabolic syndrome. Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum; BC) is a horticultural crop in Europe. To induce metabolic syndrome, Sprague-Dawley rats were fed 60% high-fructose diet. Treatment with BC (100 or 300mg/kg/day for 8 weeks) signifcantly suppressed increased liver weight, epididymal fat weight, C-reactive protein (CRP), total bilirubin, leptin, and insulin in rats with induced metabolic syndrome. BC markedly prevented increased adipocyte size and hepatic triglyceride accumulation in rats with induced metabolic syndrome. BC suppressed oral glucose tolerance and protein expression of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and phosphorylated AMP- activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) in muscle. BC signifcantly suppressed plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL content. BC suppressed endothelial dysfunction by inducing downregulation of endothelin-1 and adhesion molecules in the aorta. Vascular relaxation of thoracic aortic rings by sodium nitroprusside and acetylcholine was improved by BC. Te present study provides evidence of the potential protective efect of BC against metabolic syndrome by demonstrating improvements in dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and obesity in vivo. 1. Introduction Metabolic syndrome is a disease condition characterized by variable coexistence of obesity, hyperuricemia, hyperinsu- linemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Te pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome includes multiple organs in the cardiorenal system [1]. Patients with metabolic syndrome, as defned by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III), simultaneously exhibit 3 or more of the following traits: increased waist circumference, elevated blood pressure, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, elevated triglyceride level, and hyperglycemia [2, 3]. Fructose, present in added sugars such as sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup, has been epidemiologically linked with metabolic syndrome. Increased consumption of fructose, commonly used in processed food and sof drinks, is one of the most important factors contributing to the growing prevalence of metabolic syndrome [4]. Recent fndings have shown that dietary fructose accelerates metabolic disorders and induces oxidative damage [5]. A high-fructose diet induces a well-characterized metabolic syndrome, generally resulting in hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and a low HDL level [6]. A recent study suggested that renal damage is associated with metabolic syndrome [7]. Exposure of the liver to high levels of fructose leads to rapid stimulation of lipogenesis and triglyceride accumulation, which lead to reduced insulin sensitivity and hepatic insulin resistance/glucose intolerance [8]. Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum; BC) is a valuable horticul- tural crop in Russia, Poland, German, Scandinavia, Eng- land, New Zealand, and several Eastern European nations. Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2015, Article ID 385976, 11 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/385976