Aspartame is an
artificial sweetener used as an alternate for
sugar in several foods and beverages. Since
aspartame is 200 times sweeter than traditional
sugar, it can give the same level of sweetness with less substance, which leads to lower-calorie food intake. There are reports that consumption of
aspartame-containing products can help obese people lose weight. However, the potential role of
aspartame in
obesity is not clear. The present study investigated whether
aspartame suppresses 3T3-L1 differentiation, by downregulating phosphorylated
peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (p-PPARγ),
peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ),
fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4),
CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), and
sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), which are critical for adipogenesis. The 3T3-L1 adipocytes were cultured and differentiated for 6 d in the absence and presence of 10 μg/ml of
aspartame.
Aspartame reduced
lipid accumulation in differentiated adipocytes as evidenced by
Oil Red O staining. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the PPARγ, FABP4, and C/EBPα
mRNA expression was significantly reduced in the
aspartame-treated adipocytes. Western blot analysis showed that the induction of p-PPARγ, PPARγ, SREBP1, and
adipsin was markedly reduced in the
aspartame-treated adipocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that
aspartame may be a potent substance to alter adipocyte differentiation and control
obesity.