Nephrologists from the University of Washington have found that sugar affects the formation of cysts in the kidneys – a large amount of sugar leads to the growth of neoplasms. The results of the research have been published magazine Nature Communication.
Doctors say that large cysts in the kidneys can impair organ function and ultimately lead to organ failure. In this case, the person will need to be transferred.
The researchers worked with miniature replicas of human kidneys with cysts — such enlarged copies of organs are called organoids — and a microfluidic chip. Combining the chip with kidney organelles allowed different solutions to pass through the organs.
Researchers have found that increasing the amount of sugar in the solution causes the cysts to grow. When the authors used drugs that inhibit sugar absorption in the kidneys, they inhibited growth.
In the future, doctors plan to test their discovery in vivo. The scientists also noted that their work will help find new treatments for kidney cysts.