Abstract

ROSEMARY EXTRACT ATTENUATES APOPTOTIC EFFECT OF ASPARTAME IN LIVER OF MALE RATS

Manar Salah, Samiha M. Abd El Dayem, Mahmoud M. Arafa and Nawal Zakaria Haggag*

Abstract

Impaired apoptosis plays a central role in the development of diseases such as cancer or autoimmune diseases. Low calorie and non-weightbearing nutritional replacements as aspartame can cause cellular toxicity via inflammatory and apoptotic pathway which finally may lead to severe cellular effects with incidence of cancer. On other side, natural antioxidants are receiving strong attention as effective alternatives to protect humans against any harmful effects produced from synthetic substances. Consequently, in this study aqueous extract of rosemary (R. officinalis), has been used as a natural antioxidant to evaluate its role against aspartame-induced apoptosis in rat liver. Daily oral doses were used at 125 mg/kg.b.wt for rosemary against 250 mg/kg.b.wt for aspartame. Rosemary extract which was co-administered, pre-administered or post-administered of aspartame showed a powerful capacity to improve apoptotic proteins expressions; caspase-3 and Bax, and anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl2 along with antiinflammatory role represented by increase of IL-10 expression. Thus, rosemary extract has anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory role against aspartame toxicity.

Keywords: Apoptosis, Rosemary, IL-10, Liver, Aspartame.