College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
J Agric Food Chem. 2024 Oct 23;72(42):23478-23492. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c05394. Epub 2024 Oct 9.
As a non-nutritive sweetener, aspartame is widely used in everyday life. However, its safety is highly controversial, especially its effects on neurobehavior. We evaluated the effects of chronic daily oral administration of aspartame-containing drinking water (at doses equivalent to 7-28% of the FDA-recommended human DIV) on memory and rhythm behaviors in mice and further investigated changes at the molecular level in the brains. Our results demonstrated that mice exposed to aspartame exhibited memory impairment. Disorders of hippocampal neurotransmitter metabolism and pathological damage may be responsible for the aspartame-induced memory impairment via inhibition of the BDNF/TrkB pathway. Furthermore, our findings suggested that disturbed clock gene expression in the hypothalamus after aspartame exposure led to altered rest-activity behavior, and this disruption of the circadian rhythm may exacerbate memory impairment. This study highlights the negative neurobehavioral effects of aspartame and provides valuable insights into its rational and safe use.
作为一种非营养性甜味剂，阿斯巴甜在日常生活中被广泛使用。然而，其安全性存在很大争议，尤其是对神经行为的影响。我们评估了慢性每日口服含有阿斯巴甜的饮用水（剂量相当于 FDA 推荐的人类每日摄入量的 7-28%）对小鼠记忆和节律行为的影响，并进一步研究了大脑中的分子水平变化。我们的结果表明，暴露于阿斯巴甜的小鼠表现出记忆障碍。海马神经递质代谢紊乱和病理损伤可能通过抑制 BDNF/TrkB 通路导致阿斯巴甜引起的记忆障碍。此外，我们的研究结果表明，暴露于阿斯巴甜后下丘脑时钟基因表达的紊乱导致休息-活动行为的改变，这种昼夜节律的破坏可能会加重记忆障碍。本研究强调了阿斯巴甜的负面神经行为影响，并为其合理安全使用提供了有价值的见解。
