ORIGINAL PAPER Dietary Lipids Alter the Effect of Steroids on the Transport of Fructose Following Intestinal Resection in Rats A. Thiesen Æ K. A. Tappenden Æ M. I. McBurney Æ M. T. Clandinin Æ M. Keelan Æ B. K. A. Thomson Æ L. A. Drozdowski Æ G. Wild Æ A. B. R. Thomson Received: 7 February 2007 / Accepted: 24 November 2007 / Published online: 13 February 2008 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008 Abstract Background Glucocorticosteroids alter intesti- nal morphology and transport. We tested the hypothesis that the desired intestinal adaptive response following intestinal resection may be enhanced further by the locally active steroid budesonide, and by feeding a saturated as compared with a polyunsaturated fatty acid diet. Methods An in-vitro uptake method was used to assess intestinal fructose uptake by rats of semisynthetic diets enriched in saturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids, and injected with budesonide or control solution. Results Budesonide increased ileal fructose uptake in chow and PUFA-fed animals, but reduced jejunal fructose uptake in rats fed SFA. GLUT5 and GLUT2 protein and mRNA did not correlate with changes in fructose uptake. Steroids reduced jejunal proglucagon expression in animals fed chow. Ani- mals fed SFA and given budesonide had a reduction in jejunal ODC mRNA compared with those fed PUFA or chow. Conclusions (1) budesonide increases ileal fructose uptake following intestinal resection, and this beneficial effect is prevented by feeding SFA rather than PUFA; (2) fructose uptake does not correlate with GLUT5 and GLUT2 protein and mRNA; (3) ODC and proglucagon may be involved in this adaptive response. Keywords Adaptation Á Budesonide Á Dexamethasone Á Diet Á GLUT5 Á Prednisone Abbreviations BBM Brush–border membrane BLM Basolateral membrane Bud Budesonide Dex Dexamethasone DIG Digoxigenin EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ERG Early-response genes GLUT2 Sodium-independent glucose and fructose transporter GLUT5 Sodium-independent fructose transporter HRP Horseradish peroxidase Km Apparent Michaelis constant ODC Ornithine decarboxylase Pred Prednisone PUFA Polyunsaturated fatty acid diet All the authors are for Cell, Molecular Biology Collaborative Network in Gastrointestinal Physiology. A. Thiesen Á M. T. Clandinin Á M. Keelan Á B. K. A. Thomson Á L. A. Drozdowski Á A. B. R. Thomson Nutrition and Metabolism Research Group, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada K. A. Tappenden Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA M. I. McBurney Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada M. T. Clandinin WK Kellogg Institute, Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, MI 49010-3232, USA G. Wild Division of Gastroenterology, and Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada A. B. R. Thomson (&) Zeidler Ledcor Center, 130 University Campus, T6G 2X8 Edmonton, AB, Canada e-mail: alan.thomson@ualberta.ca 123 Dig Dis Sci (2008) 53:2126–2139 DOI 10.1007/s10620-007-0142-5