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Microfluidic Platform for Measuring Neutrophil Chemotaxis from Unprocessed Whole Blood
Published on: June 3, 2014
Sweetener System Intervention Shifted Neutrophils from Homeostasis to Priming
Thomas Skurk1, Tamara Krämer2, Patrick Marcinek2
1ZIEL Institute for Food and Health, Core Facility Human Studies, TUM School for Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany.
Background:
Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are part of personalized nutrition strategies supporting healthy glycemic control. In contrast, the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners has been related to person-specific and microbiome-dependent glycemic impairments. Reports on the effects of NNS on our highly individual cellular immune system are sparse. The recent identification of taste receptor expression in a variety of immune cells, however, suggested their immune-modulatory relevance.
Methods:
We studied the influence of a beverage-typical NNS system on the transcriptional profiling of sweetener-cognate taste receptors, selected cytokines and their receptors, and on Ca2+ signaling in isolated blood neutrophils. We determined plasma concentrations of saccharin, acesulfame-K, and cyclamate by HPLC-MS/MS, upon ingestion of a soft drink-typical sweetener surrogate. In an open-labeled, randomized intervention study, we determined pre- versus post-intervention transcript levels by RT-qPCR of sweetener-cognate taste receptors and immune factors.
Results:
Here we show that the consumption of a food-typical sweetener system modulated the gene expression of cognate taste receptors and induced the transcriptional regulation signatures of early homeostasis- and late receptor/signaling- and inflammation-related genes in blood neutrophils, shifting their transcriptional profile from homeostasis to priming. Notably, sweeteners at postprandial plasma concentrations facilitated fMLF (N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe)-induced Ca2+ signaling.
Conclusions:
Our results support the notion of sweeteners priming neutrophils to higher alertness towards their adequate stimuli.
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