Effect of aspartame in bone formation of young female rats

Aspartame is a popular artificial sweetener with a few calories and is widely used, it is used in over 90 countries around the world. The current study was aimed to assess the effect of different doses of aspartame 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 g/kg on the bone formation of young female rats. Twenty-four female rats aged 1.5 months and weighing 90-100 gm were grouped as the following: control group (G1), group treated with 0.4 g/kg (G2), group treated with 0.8 g/kg (G3) and group treated with 1.2 g/kg (G4). After 30 days of treatment blood samples were drawn and serum separated for estimation the biochemical parameters rat-vitamin D, rat-Insulin like growth factor-1 (rat-IGF-1), alkaline phosphatase, calcium, inorganic phosphate, and albumin. For bone histopathological examination the left femur of rats was taken after the animals were killed. The results revealed a significant elevation in serum vitamin D, IGF-1, ALP, and albumin in all treatment groups comparison to the control group. However, calcium in serum showed a significant reduction after being treated with 0.4 g/kg and 0.8 g/kg, but a significant elevation was noticed after treatment with 1.2 g/kg of aspartame. High doses of aspartame at 1.2 g/kg exhibited histopathological changes in bone sections. We concluded from the current study that excessive doses of aspartame have an unfavorable effect on bone formation and structure of growing rats.