EFFECT OF SUBCHRONIC EXPOSURE TO ASPARTAME ON LEUCINE RICH REPEAT CONTAINING PROTEIN 23 (Lrrc23 GENE) EXPRESSION IN MALE SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS.

ABSTRACT

Aspartame, an artificial non-saccharide sweetener is commonly used as a sugar substitute in food and beverages; it has been implicated to negatively affect sperm motility. Lrrc23 (Leucine-Rich Repeat-Containing Protein 23) is a gene that encodes a protein belonging to the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) family. Lrrc23 plays key roles in regulating sperm motility and sperm flagella ultrastructural integrity. This study assessed the effect of subchronic exposure to aspartame on Lrrc23 gene expression in male Sprague Dawley Rats. For this study, 31 prepubertal male Sprague Dawley rats were grouped into 5; Group 1 received 0.5ml distilled water, while 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg of aspartame was given to group 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively for 75 days, animals were sacrificed and the testes collected for lrrc23 gene expression studies. Results: In this study, when comparison was made amongst the groups administered aspartame, we observed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the expression of the Lrrc23 gene starting from 40 mg/kg to 160 mg/kg. These findings suggest a dosage-dependent impact of aspartame on the relative expression of the Lrrc23 gene in the testes, which may be associated with alterations in regulatory mechanisms and may in turn suggest that aspartame. In conclusion, Aspartame affects the expression of lrrc23 gene which suggests a decrease in sperm motility.