Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 9, 2025
A Model of Chronic Nutrient Infusion in the Rat
Published on: August 14, 2013
Fructose-rich diet and walnut supplementation differently regulate rat hypothalamic and hippocampal glucose
Tamara Dakic1, Iva Lakic1, Manja Zec2
1Department for Comparative Physiology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry 'Ivan Djaja', Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Background:
Nutritional modulations may be considered a strategy to protect mental health. Neuronal homeostasis is highly dependent on the availability of glucose, which represents the primary energy source for the brain. In this study, we evaluated the effects of walnut intake and fructose-rich diet on the expression of glucose transporters (GLUTs) in two rat brain regions: hypothalamus and hippocampus.
Results:
Our results show that walnut supplementation of fructose-fed animals restored the hypothalamic content of GLUT1 and GLUT3 protein. Furthermore, walnut intake did not affect increased hypothalamic GLUT2 content upon fructose consumption. These effects were accompanied by distinctive alterations of hippocampal GLUTs levels. Specifically, walnut intake increased GLUT1 content, whereas GLUT2 protein was decreased within the rat hippocampus after both individual and combined treatments.
Conclusion:
Overall, our study suggests that walnut supplementation exerted modulatory effects on the glucose transporters within specific brain regions in the presence of developed metabolic disorder. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
