Introduction: Many reports on the use of aspartame revealed that it releases metabolites which in turn causes brain adverse effect on rats.
Aim of the work: to investigate the impact of aspartame on histopathology and ultrastructure of rat frontal cortex and assess the efficacy of Adipose-Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AD-MSCs) to ameliorate this effect after chronic aspartame administration (40 mg/kg per body weight).
Methods: to investigate the effects of aspartame, methotrexate and folate deficient diet was used to induce folate deficiency in rats to imitate the human methanol metabolic process. The animals were distributed into four groups; control group, MTX control, MXT/Aspartame and MXT/aspartame/AD-MSCs group. The histopathology and ultrastructure of frontal cortex along with its cell's expression of Caspase-3 and GFAP were assessed. The used AD-MSCs were characterized by immunohistochemical detection of CD73, CD105 and CD45 markers and tracked in frontal cortex by PCR.
Results: White matter density was significantly reduced in MTX/aspartame animals, evidence of gliosis, pyramidal cell intracellular and extracellular vacuolations and Significant increase in Caspase-3 and GFAP stained neuron. Disorganization of ultrastructure organelles and oedematous astrocyte plates around blood vessels were evident when compared to control animals. Almost restoration of the frontal cortex architecture and ultrastructure was established in the MXT//aspartame/AD-MSCs together with significant decrease in Caspase-3 and GFAP stained neuron compared to MXT//aspartame group.
Conclusion: AD-MSCs transplantation could mitigate the degenerative impact of aspartame metabolites on the rat frontal cortex.