Chronic aspartame intake causes deficient glutathione synthesis and induces cxcl1 up-regulation in mice liver

Reduced glutathione (GSH) depletion and inflammation have been linked to chronic aspartame consumption. However, the cause of aspartame-induced GSH depletion and the role of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in aspartame-triggered inflammation are still unknown. The aims of this research were to investigate if aspartame causes GSH depletion due to deficient synthesis and also which pro- and anti-inflammatory genes are involved in aspartame-related inflammation in mice liver. Mice were divided into three groups: control, aspartame (80 mg kg-1, v.o., 3 months), aspartame treated with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) (1 mmol kg-1, i.p., last month). Aspartame markedly reduced GSH, γ-glutamylcysteine …