Sweet Taste Receptor Expression and Its Activation by Sucralose to Regulate Glucose Absorption in Mouse Duodenum

Sucralose (SUC) has been used in the food industry for nearly 30 years since it was first allowed as an artificial sweetener at the end of the 20th century. However, its effects on the body remain not incontrovertible. This work aimed to investigate the influence of SUC exposure on sweetness receptors and glucose absorption and to explore the relationship between them. Mice were exposed with different concentration of SUC (from 0.27 to 0.47 g/L) for 12 weeks. Long-term treatment with SUC resulted in impaired glucose metabolism, manifested in the decrease of glucose tolerance and the increase of sweet taste receptors, glucose transporters, and glucose absorption. This study also provides a method to quantify the glucose absorptivity. In detail, with increasing concentration of SUC, the glucose absorptivities in the dodecadactylon of mice were added 1.48, 1.56, 1.71, and 1.71 times, respectively, showing wide interindividual variation compared with the control group. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The artificial sweetener, sucralose, has physiological influences of changing glucose metabolism. The small bowel is the main location for glucose metabolism and absorbs the ingested proteins and carbohydrates. And, this study provides a method to quantify the glucose absorptivity of intestine.