Impact of aspartame and saccharin on the rat liver: Biochemical, molecular, and histological approach

Abstract

The current work was undertaken to settle the debate about the toxicity of artificial sweeteners (AS), particularly aspartame and saccharin. Twenty-five, 7-week-old male Wistar albino rats with an average body weight of 101 ± 4.8 g were divided into a control group and four experimental groups (n = 5 rats). The first and second experimental groups received daily doses equivalent to the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame (250 mg/Kg BW) and four-fold ADI of aspartame (1000 mg/Kg BW). The third and fourth experimental groups received daily doses equivalent to ADI of saccharin (25 mg/Kg BW) and four-fold ADI of saccharin (100 mg/Kg BW). The experimental groups received the corresponding sweetener dissolved in water by oral route for 8 weeks. The activities of enzymes relevant to liver functions and antioxidants were measured in the blood plasma. Histological studies were used for the evaluation of the changes in the hepatic tissues. The gene expression levels of the key oncogene (h-Ras) and the tumor suppressor gene (P27) were also evaluated. In addition to a significant reduction in the body weight, the AS-treated groups displayed elevated enzymes activities, lowered antioxidants values, and histological changes reflecting the hepatotoxic effect of aspartame and saccharin. Moreover, the overexpression of the key oncogene (h-Ras) and the downregulation of the tumor suppressor gene (P27) in all treated rat groups may indicate a potential risk of liver carcinogenesis, particularly on long-term exposure.

Worsening of Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, and Atherosclerotic Lesions in Aged LDLr-/- Mice after Consumption of Guarana Soft Drinks

“…Until the present study, there was no evidence that guarana SD could contribute to liver or gastric damage. In parallel, only a few studies have demonstrated a potential risk of hepatotoxicity under chronic exposure to aspartame [76, 77] or acesulfame K [12]. Thus, our data clarify this question by demonstrating that the excessive consumption of carbohydrates (but not guarana per se) is the main contributor to steatosis and oxidative stress in the liver.…”

Saccharin Increases Fasting Blood Glucose but Not Liver Insulin Resistance in Comparison to a High Fructose-Fed Rat Model

“…Amin et al reported that Sac decreased body weight, fasting blood glucose, total and LDL-cholesterol, and Tg levels in Rattus Norvegicus albino rats, but increased liver transaminases (TANs) compared to a control group fed normal chow [ 19 ]. Alkafafy et al compared the consumption of Sac versus a normal diet without Sac in Wistar albino rats and found that Sac decreased body weight and increased TANs levels [ 20 ]. Several other studies noted body weight reduction and several changes in biochemical liver function tests [ 21 , 22 ]; however, none of these studies compared Sac to fructose.…”

Role of L-carnitine in protection against the cardiac oxidative stress induced by aspartame in Wistar albino rats

“…Oxidative stress is highly correlated with ASP toxicity [ 13 , 14 ]. ASP induces reactive oxygen species formation and cytotoxicity, due to an imbalance in the antioxidants/oxidative system in hepatocytes [ 15 ]. It has been shown that free radicals may cause membrane destruction through the oxidative corruption of lipids, proteins, and DNA [ 16 ].…”