Impact of different fructose concentrations on metabolic and behavioral parameters of male and female mice

•High-fructose intake (15% w/v) resulted in increased plasma cholesterol levels and glucose intolerance in mice.•High-fructose intake (15% w/v) provoked a passive stress-coping behavior in female mice.•High-fructose intake (30% w/v) induced body weight gain and increased plasma cholesterol and triglycerides levels in mice.•High-fructose intake (30% w/v) induced-glucose intolerance was more pronounced in males than in the female mice.•High-fructose intake (30% w/v) induced short-term spatial memory impairments and lower self-care behavior in mice.•High-fructose intake (30% w/v) provoked a passive stress-coping behavior in female mice.•There was observed no alteration in object recognition memory and spontaneous locomotion on fructose-fed mice. Clinical evidence has shown that a high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a risk factor for developing obesity and metabolic syndrome. There has also been increasing interest in the potential effects of high-fructose intake on behavior. The present study evaluated sex differences in behavioral and metabolic characteristics in response to chronic fructose intake in mice. Swiss mice (3-months-old) had access to tap water or fructose-water solution (at 15% or 30% w/v) ad libitum for nine weeks. After the 8 weeks, the mice were submitted to a battery of behavioral tests. A glucose tolerance test was performed one day after these behavioral tests, and the next day blood was collected for biochemical analysis. At a 15% concentration, fructose-intaking resulted in higher plasma cholesterol levels and glucose intolerance in mice that paralleled with a passive stress-coping behavior in the female mice and lower self-care behavior in the male and the female mice. At a 30% concentration, fructose-intaking resulted in higher body mass gain and higher plasma cholesterol and triglycerides levels in the male and the female mice, whereas glucose intolerance was more pronounced in the male mice. Spatial memory impairments and lower self-care behavior were observed in the male and the female mice, while passive stress-coping behavior was observed only in the female mice. Collectively, high-fructose intake induces metabolic and behavioral alterations in mice, with the males being more susceptible to glucose metabolism dysfunctions and the females to depressive-like endophenotypes.