Expression of the D2 and D5 dopaminergic receptors related to non‐caloric commercial sweetener intake

Abstract

Human beings have a preference for sweet flavors, which are mostly achieved by the use of sugar in food. Addition of non‐caloric sweeteners to food and beverages is presently a common practice, seeking to obtain the flavor without the caloric content and therefore, reducing the risk of developing non‐communicable chronic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The use of sweeteners to promote a healthy diet and weight control is broadly accepted, but there is currently evidence that contradicts such ideas, demonstrating that the use of some of these compounds may alter the hunger‐satiety system. Thus, it is necessary to regulate the quantity and duration of sweetener intake to evaluate the effect they might have on molecules that regulate central and peripheral signals of the hunger‐satiety system. Expression of dopaminergic receptors D2 and D5, which have a role in the neuroendocrine regulation of food and water intake, was evaluated in 14 week‐old BALB/c mice that consumed either sucrose, stevia or sucralose in their daily water for 6 weeks, by performing a western blot analysis of proteins from their brains. Our preliminary results show a higher expression of D2 in the brains of mice in the sucralose group, whereas D5 presented higher expression in the sucrose and sucralose samples. Our data suggest that chronic intake of commercial non‐caloric sweeteners may alter the expression of dopaminergic receptors and modify the signals that control the normal functions of the hunger‐satiety system.