Abhilash M, Alex Manju, Mathews Varghese V, Nair R Harikumaran
School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Int J Toxicol. 2014 Jul;33(4):332-341. doi: 10.1177/1091581814537087. Epub 2014 May 28.
Aspartame is one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners globally. Data concerning acute neurotoxicity of aspartame is controversial, and knowledge on its chronic effect is limited. In the current study, we investigated the chronic effects of aspartame on ionic homeostasis and regional monoamine neurotransmitter concentrations in the brain. Our results showed that aspartame at high dose caused a disturbance in ionic homeostasis and induced apoptosis in the brain. We also investigated the effects of aspartame on brain regional monoamine synthesis, and the results revealed that there was a significant decrease of dopamine in corpus striatum and cerebral cortex and of serotonin in corpus striatum. Moreover, aspartame treatment significantly alters the tyrosine hydroxylase activity and amino acids levels in the brain. Our data suggest that chronic use of aspartame may affect electrolyte homeostasis and monoamine neurotransmitter synthesis dose dependently, and this might have a possible effect on cognitive functions.
阿斯巴甜是全球使用最广泛的人工甜味剂之一。关于阿斯巴甜急性神经毒性的数据存在争议，其慢性影响方面的认知也有限。在本研究中，我们调查了阿斯巴甜对大脑离子稳态和区域单胺神经递质浓度的慢性影响。我们的结果表明，高剂量阿斯巴甜会导致离子稳态紊乱并诱导大脑细胞凋亡。我们还研究了阿斯巴甜对脑区单胺合成的影响，结果显示纹状体和大脑皮层中的多巴胺以及纹状体中的5-羟色胺显著减少。此外，阿斯巴甜处理显著改变了大脑中的酪氨酸羟化酶活性和氨基酸水平。我们的数据表明，长期使用阿斯巴甜可能会剂量依赖性地影响电解质稳态和单胺神经递质合成，这可能对认知功能产生潜在影响。
