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Effect of l-carnitine on aspartame-induced oxidative stress, histopathological changes, and genotoxicity in liver of male rats

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Published/Copyright: January 15, 2019
Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology
From the journal Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology Volume 30 Issue 2

Abstract

Background

Aspartame (ASP) is used for treatment of obesity and diabetes mellitus. This study was designed to illustrate the biochemical responses and histopathological alterations besides the genotoxicity of ASP alone or with l-carnitine (LC) in the liver of rats.

Methods

Animals were separated into six groups: control, lower dose of ASP (ASP-LD; 75 mg/kg), higher dose of ASP (ASP-HD; 150 mg/kg), l-carnitine (LC; 10 mg/kg), ASP-LD plus LC, and ASP-HD plus LC. Treatment was carried out orally for 30 consecutive days.

Results

ASP raised the activity of some enzymes of liver markers and disturbed the lipid profile levels. The hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, the marker enzymes of antioxidant activities, were obviously diminished, and, possibly, the lipid peroxidation, C-reactive protein, and interleukins levels were increased. ASP significantly increased the DNA deterioration in comparison with the control in a dose-dependent manner. LC prevented ASP-induced liver damage as demonstrated by the enhancement of all the above parameters. Results of histopathological and electron microscopic examination proved the biochemical feedback and the improved LC effect on liver toxicity.

Conclusions

The co-treatment of LC showed different improvement mechanisms against ASP-induced liver impairment. So, the intake of ASP should be regulated and taken with LC when it is consumed in different foods or drinks to decrease its oxidative stress, histopathology, and genotoxicity of liver.

Keywords: antioxidant enzymes; aspartame; DNA; histology; l-carnitine; oxidative biomarkers; transmission electron microscopy

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Employment or leadership: None declared.

  4. Honorarium: None declared.

  5. Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2018-04-05
Accepted: 2018-11-15
Published Online: 2019-01-15

©2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  8. Inflammation
  9. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of Tetracera alnifolia Willd. (Dilleniaceae) hydroethanolic leaf extract
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  12. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine ameliorates stress- and NSAID-induced peptic ulcer possibly by involving Hsp70
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  15. Reproduction
  16. Sympathovagal imbalance and neurophysiologic cognitive assessment using evoked potentials in polycystic ovary syndrome in young adolescents – a cross-sectional study
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  21. Cardiovascular Function
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  25. Case Report
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https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2018-0064
Keywords for this article
antioxidant enzymes; aspartame; DNA; histology; l-carnitine; oxidative biomarkers; transmission electron microscopy

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Oxidative Stress
  3. Primary concept of nickel toxicity – an overview
  4. Behavior and Neuroprotection
  5. Review of thiamine deficiency disorders: Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff psychosis
  6. Infection
  7. Opportunistic infection at the start of antiretroviral therapy and baseline CD4+ count less than 50 cells/mm3 are associated with poor immunological recovery
  8. Inflammation
  9. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of Tetracera alnifolia Willd. (Dilleniaceae) hydroethanolic leaf extract
  10. Oxidative Stress
  11. Influence of eugenol on oxidative stress biomarkers in the liver of carrageenan-induced arthritis rats
  12. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine ameliorates stress- and NSAID-induced peptic ulcer possibly by involving Hsp70
  13. The ethanol leaf extract of Andrographis paniculata blunts acute renal failure in cisplatin-induced injury in rats through inhibition of Kim-1 and upregulation of Nrf2 pathway
  14. Effect of l-carnitine on aspartame-induced oxidative stress, histopathological changes, and genotoxicity in liver of male rats
  15. Reproduction
  16. Sympathovagal imbalance and neurophysiologic cognitive assessment using evoked potentials in polycystic ovary syndrome in young adolescents – a cross-sectional study
  17. Phytotherapy
  18. Antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic potential of ethanol extract of Salacia lehmbachii stem bark in alloxan-induced diabetic rats
  19. Hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects of oral administration of garlic extract in the livers of type 1 diabetic rats
  20. Anabasis aretioides Coss. & Moq. phenolic compounds exhibit in vitro hypoglycemic, antioxidant and antipathogenic properties
  21. Cardiovascular Function
  22. Cardioautonomic responses to acute ingestion of ice water and its correlation to body mass index
  23. Metabolism
  24. Repeated restraint stress upregulates rat sulfotransferase 1A1
  25. Case Report
  26. Tramadol-induced parkinsonism: a case report of a 75-year-old woman
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