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ABSTRACT
Aspartame is a popular artificial sweetener that is frequently used in culinary products. Aspartame has been reported to negatively affect spermatogenesis, a process in which the KIT gene plays a role in the proliferation, survival and maturation of sperm cells. The aim of this study was to determine how aspartame consumption affects the KIT gene expression in the testes of Sprague-Dawley rats. A total of thirty-one (31) male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this experiment. They were grouped into five groups; Group 1 (normal control, which were administered feed and 0.5ml distilled water), Group 2 (40 mg/kg body weight of Aspartame), Group 3 (80 mg/kg body weight of Aspartame), Group 4 (160 mg/kg body weight of Aspartame) and Group 5 (320 mg/kg body weight of Aspartame) via gavage and the experiment went on for 75 days. Results: In this study, a dose dependent decrease was observed in the relative expression of the KIT gene amongst the groups administered aspartame, starting from 40 mg/kg aspartame to 160 mg/kg aspartame. In conclusion, the decreased expression of the KIT gene might be an indication that aspartame can suppress intracellular molecular events rather than stimulate them.
