Effects of frequent sweetener intake on murine splenic T lymphocyte surface marker expression

Abstract

Metabolic and immunological alterations are common in chronic conditions, such as diabetes, which promotes low‐level chronic inflammation. The use of non‐nutritive sweeteners has increased not only in patients suffering from this illness, but in the general population. The effects of these compounds on the immune system are not well known. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the frequent consumption of sucrose and stevia on T lymphocyte surface marker expression. 14 week‐old BALB/c mice were orally administered either sucrose or stevia in drinking water for 6 weeks. Subsequently, splenic T cells were purified and analyzed by flow cytometry using the following surface markers: CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25 and CD69. Our results showed an increase in CD4+ T cells of the sucrose group, compared to control and stevia groups. We observed an increase in CD8+ T cells in the sucrose and stevia groups. In contrast, we found no change in CD4+/CD25+ T cells among groups, but we observed a decrease in the percentage of CD4+/CD69+ T cells in the sucrose and stevia groups. Our data suggests that the frequent use of sweeteners modifies the frequency and phenotype of T cell subsets in the spleen.