Do Sweeteners Affect the Expression of Proteins in the Renin Angiotensin System?
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
20-4-2015 10:00 AM
End Date
20-4-2015 11:30 AM
Student's Major
Chemistry and Geology
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Theresa Salerno
Mentor's Email Address
theresa.salerno@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Chemistry and Geology
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
Stevia is an artificial sweetener designed to lower calorie use and reduce blood sugar. There is some experimental evidence that stevia may reduce hypertension. The mechanism has not yet been determined but may relate to the renin angiotensin system (RAS). Two key enzymes in this system are angiotensin and renin and their respective receptors. Activation of both the angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R) and the prorenin receptor (PRR) result in the production of other proteins that increase blood pressure. MicroRNA 152 (miR-152) has been shown to repress the expression of PRR, and it has a strong match to the 3’untranslated region of the mRNA. Inhibition of PRR has been shown to cause hypotensive effects. Increased expression of MiR-132 has been correlated with the overexpression of AT1R and increased hypertension. In this study, sixteen Wistar-Kyoto (normotensive) rats were given diets of unsweetened osmolite, or osmolite sweetened with sucrose, or saccharin, or stevia over a 6-week period. The kidneys were removed and quickly frozen in liquid nitrogen. Following purification of the microRNAs and mRNAs with the miRVANA kit, reverse transcription and qPCR were used to quantitate the expression of two microRNAs and the PRR and AT1R mRNAs. There were small decreases in the relative expressions of kidney microRNAs in the rats given supplemental sweeteners. Differences at the transcriptional level were not found to be significant. Western Blotting will be conducted to quantitate levels of the AT1R and PRR proteins in these kidney samples.
Do Sweeteners Affect the Expression of Proteins in the Renin Angiotensin System?
CSU Ballroom
Stevia is an artificial sweetener designed to lower calorie use and reduce blood sugar. There is some experimental evidence that stevia may reduce hypertension. The mechanism has not yet been determined but may relate to the renin angiotensin system (RAS). Two key enzymes in this system are angiotensin and renin and their respective receptors. Activation of both the angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R) and the prorenin receptor (PRR) result in the production of other proteins that increase blood pressure. MicroRNA 152 (miR-152) has been shown to repress the expression of PRR, and it has a strong match to the 3’untranslated region of the mRNA. Inhibition of PRR has been shown to cause hypotensive effects. Increased expression of MiR-132 has been correlated with the overexpression of AT1R and increased hypertension. In this study, sixteen Wistar-Kyoto (normotensive) rats were given diets of unsweetened osmolite, or osmolite sweetened with sucrose, or saccharin, or stevia over a 6-week period. The kidneys were removed and quickly frozen in liquid nitrogen. Following purification of the microRNAs and mRNAs with the miRVANA kit, reverse transcription and qPCR were used to quantitate the expression of two microRNAs and the PRR and AT1R mRNAs. There were small decreases in the relative expressions of kidney microRNAs in the rats given supplemental sweeteners. Differences at the transcriptional level were not found to be significant. Western Blotting will be conducted to quantitate levels of the AT1R and PRR proteins in these kidney samples.
Recommended Citation
Young, Natalie. "Do Sweeteners Affect the Expression of Proteins in the Renin Angiotensin System?." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 20, 2015.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2015/poster_session_A/39
