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10.3390/nu16040490
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Article

Differential Alterations of Expression of the Serotoninergic System Genes and Mood-Related Behavior by Consumption of Aspartame or Potassium Acesulfame in Rats

by
José Jaime Martínez-Magaña
1,†,
Alma Delia Genis-Mendoza
1,†,
Ileana Gallegos-Silva
1,
María Lilia López-Narváez
2,
Isela Esther Juárez-Rojop
2,
Juan C. Diaz-Zagoya
3,
Carlos Alfonso Tovilla-Zárate
2,*,
Thelma Beatriz González-Castro
4,
Humberto Nicolini
1,* and
Anayelly Solis-Medina
1
1
Laboratorio de Genómica de Enfermedades Psiquiátricas y Neurodegenerativas, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Ciudad de México 14610, Mexico
2
División Académica de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa 86100, Mexico
3
División de Investigación, Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
4
División Académica Multidisciplinaria de Comalcalco, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Comalcalco 86650, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Nutrients 2024, 16(4), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040490
Submission received: 8 January 2024 / Revised: 18 January 2024 / Accepted: 31 January 2024 / Published: 8 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Intervention in Mental Health)
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Abstract

The use of aspartame (ASP) and potassium acesulfame (ACK) to reduce weight gain is growing; however, contradictory effects in body mass index control and neurobiological alterations resulting from artificial sweeteners consumption have been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the chronic consumption of ASP and ACK on mood-related behavior and the brain expression of serotonin genes in male Wistar rats. Mood-related behaviors were evaluated using the swim-forced test and defensive burying at two time points: 45 days (juvenile) and 95 days (adult) postweaning. Additionally, the mRNA expression of three serotoninergic genes (Slc6a4, Htr1a, and Htr2c) was measured in the brain areas (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus) involved in controlling mood-related behaviors. In terms of mood-related behaviors, rats consuming ACK exhibited anxiety-like behavior only during the juvenile stage. In contrast, rats consuming ASP showed a reduction in depressive-like behavior during the juvenile stage but an increase in the adult stage. The expression of Slc6a4 mRNA increased in the hippocampus of rats consuming artificial sweeteners during the juvenile stage. In the adult stage, there was an upregulation in the relative expression of Slc6a4 and Htr1a in the hypothalamus, while Htr2c expression decreased in the hippocampus of rats consuming ASP. Chronic consumption of ASP and ACK appears to have differential effects during neurodevelopmental stages in mood-related behavior, potentially mediated by alterations in serotoninergic gene expression.
Keywords: aspartame; potassium acesulfame; serotonin receptors; low-nutritional sweeteners; Htr1a; Slc6a4; Htr2c aspartame; potassium acesulfame; serotonin receptors; low-nutritional sweeteners; Htr1a; Slc6a4; Htr2c
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MDPI and ACS Style

Martínez-Magaña, J.J.; Genis-Mendoza, A.D.; Gallegos-Silva, I.; López-Narváez, M.L.; Juárez-Rojop, I.E.; Diaz-Zagoya, J.C.; Tovilla-Zárate, C.A.; González-Castro, T.B.; Nicolini, H.; Solis-Medina, A. Differential Alterations of Expression of the Serotoninergic System Genes and Mood-Related Behavior by Consumption of Aspartame or Potassium Acesulfame in Rats. Nutrients 2024, 16, 490. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040490

AMA Style

Martínez-Magaña JJ, Genis-Mendoza AD, Gallegos-Silva I, López-Narváez ML, Juárez-Rojop IE, Diaz-Zagoya JC, Tovilla-Zárate CA, González-Castro TB, Nicolini H, Solis-Medina A. Differential Alterations of Expression of the Serotoninergic System Genes and Mood-Related Behavior by Consumption of Aspartame or Potassium Acesulfame in Rats. Nutrients. 2024; 16(4):490. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040490

Chicago/Turabian Style

Martínez-Magaña, José Jaime, Alma Delia Genis-Mendoza, Ileana Gallegos-Silva, María Lilia López-Narváez, Isela Esther Juárez-Rojop, Juan C. Diaz-Zagoya, Carlos Alfonso Tovilla-Zárate, Thelma Beatriz González-Castro, Humberto Nicolini, and Anayelly Solis-Medina. 2024. "Differential Alterations of Expression of the Serotoninergic System Genes and Mood-Related Behavior by Consumption of Aspartame or Potassium Acesulfame in Rats" Nutrients 16, no. 4: 490. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040490

APA Style

Martínez-Magaña, J. J., Genis-Mendoza, A. D., Gallegos-Silva, I., López-Narváez, M. L., Juárez-Rojop, I. E., Diaz-Zagoya, J. C., Tovilla-Zárate, C. A., González-Castro, T. B., Nicolini, H., & Solis-Medina, A. (2024). Differential Alterations of Expression of the Serotoninergic System Genes and Mood-Related Behavior by Consumption of Aspartame or Potassium Acesulfame in Rats. Nutrients, 16(4), 490. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040490

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