EFFECT OF ASPARTAME ON LIVER FUNCTION TESTS

ABSTRACT

Aspartame which was described as a bittersweet pill is one of the world’s most widely used artificial sweeteners with a particularly important use in low-calorie beverages. It has been reported to have effects on various organs of the body one of which is the liver. This study aimed to determine the effect of aspartame on liver function tests. It measured concentration of total and conjugated bilirubin, total protein, albumin and globulin, liver enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and also examined the histology of the liver. A total of twenty (20) female Sprague Dawley rats were used in this study. After acclimatization for two weeks, the rats were separated into two major groups; the control group which contained five (5) rats (n=5) that were given normal feed and water, and the test group which was divided into three groups with 5 rats each (n=5); Low dose- LD (50mg), Mid dose- MD (75mg) and High dose - HD (100mg) of aspartame. The test groups were administered with aspartame for 8 weeks. The duration of the experiment was 10 weeks. Blood sample collection after administration was obtained by cardiac puncture and the bloods were placed inside EDTA bottles. The harvesting of the liver sample was carried out using a dissecting sets; forceps and scissors and the liver was kept inside a plain container containing formalin. Data was analysed using graphpad statistical software version 9.5 and results analyzed were presented in mean ±sem. a t test was used to compare the control and each experimental group. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Histological analysis was done using the Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining method. Results showed that there was a significant decrease in L.D compared with the control for mean total bilirubin with no significant difference in all doses for mean conjugated bilirubin. There was also no significant difference in all doses for both mean alkaline phosphatase and aspartate transaminase but a significant decrease in L.D for mean alanine transaminase compared to control. Total protein produced a significant increase in all doses when compared with the control with no significant difference in all doses for albumin and a significant increase in both M.D and H.D for globulin when compared with the control. Histological examination of liver ultrastructure showed damages such as zonal hepatocyte necrosis, periportal infiltration by inflammatory cells and portal vascular congestion to the liver in a dose dependent manner. The results obtained showed that aspartame had an effect on some liver function test parameters such as total bilirubin, alanine transaminase, total protein and globulin and also affected the liver ultrastructure by causing zonal hepatocyte necrosis periportal infiltration by inflammatory cells and portal vascular congestion in Sprague Dawley rats.