Comparative Effects of Stevia rebaudiana and Aspartame on hepato-renal function of diabetic rats: Biochemical and Histological Approaches

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic syndrome affecting many systems of the body and may be considered as a leading cause of death globally. To compare the efficacy of Stevia rebaudiana and Aspartame on hepato-renal functions, sixty adult male albino rats were divided into 6 groups; control, Stevia, Aspartame, diabetic, diabetic-treated with Stevia and diabetic-treated with Aspartame. Food consumption, body weight, blood glucose, serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea and creatinine levels were determined. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and bcl-2 levels were assessed as well as histological examination for liver and kidney sections were performed. Treatment of diabetic rats with Stevia leaf extract or Aspartame significantly lowered food consumption and serum blood glucose. Serum blood glucose was significantly decreased by 38% with Stevia treatment and 50% with Aspartame. Stevia treatment of diabetic rats significantly lowered the serum level of ALT by 62%, AST by 57%, ALP by 41%, urea by 16% and creatinine by 65%. Hepatic MDA was reduced by 50% in diabetic group treated with Stevia and hepatic GSH and Bcl-2 levels were significantly elevated. In contrast, Aspartame did not change these parameters. Histopatholgically, diabetic rats treated with Stevia showed improvement of liver and renal tissues, while Aspartame treatment augmented alloxan induced tissue destruction. Aspartame was more effective hypoglycemic agent than Stevia in diabetic rats but Stevia showed protective effects on the liver and kidney functions. Stevia rebaudiana may be therapeutically beneficial as hepato-renal protective agent for those suffering from diabetes mellitus.

Impact of High Aspartame and High Fructose Diet on Vascular Reactivity, Glucose Metabolism and Liver Structure in Diabetic Rats

“…Aspartame, a non-caloric sweetener, has been suggested to decrease body weight and food intake in rats and affect carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, it increases energy expenditure [21]. These results agree with ours as aspartame treatment showed a significant decrease in body weight after 60-day treatment.…”

The Effect of Single Clove Garlic Extract (Allium sativum) Against Aspartame-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Diabetic Rats

“…The result of the present study is in agreement with the study of Anton et al (2010) and Abd-Elwahab et al (2017) [34,35] who used data to find that sweeteners ASP can affect both fat and carbohydrate metabolism in addition to increasing energy expenditure. Consequently, the results showed a significant decrease in body weight in the diabetes control group compared to the body weight of the normal control group .…”

Adverse effects of MSG and aspartame on the liver of Female Albino Rats and their offspring and the possible ameliorative role Opuntia ficus-indica Fruit

“…Recent studies declared that, the decreased body weight in aspartame treated mother's rats may be due to direct inhibitory effect of aspartame on the appetite center (Anton et al, 2010;AbdElwahab et al, 2017;Otman & Bin-Jumah, 2019). The obtained data suggests that low calorie sweeteners of aspartame can accelerate both lipids and carbohydrates metabolism leading to decrease in body weight.…”

“…Several studies revealed that food additives including MSG and aspartame have been implicated in induction of harmful effects on the different body organs (Moore, 2003;Waer and Edress, 2006;El-Beltagy, 2016;AbdElwahab et al, 2017). Also, Banderali et al (2000) added that utilization of food additives during pregnancy and breastfeeding has dangerous effects on both mothers and their offspring.…”