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Artificial Sweeteners Induce Bacterial Drug Resistance and Modulate Gene Expression
1Nanjing Institute for Food and Drug Control, Jiangsu, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
To explore the effects of artificial sweeteners on reduced antibiotic susceptibility and expression of antibiotic resistance and virulence-related genes in bacteria exposed to permitted daily intake levels.
Methods:
We first evaluated the antibacterial effects of five commonly used artificial sweeteners (saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose) on Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, and detected changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We investigated the expression of genes associated with resistance, oxidative stress, and virulence using transcriptome sequencing after 2 h of exposure.
Results:
The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of artificial sweeteners for E. coli and B. subtilis were higher than the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) defined daily intake limits. Except for saccharin, these sweeteners did not significantly affect the bacterial growth within 48 h. However, at these limiting concentrations, artificial sweeteners are associated with reduced antibiotic susceptibility and upregulation of resistance-related genes and enhance ROS production. Transcriptome analysis at 2 h revealed that artificial sweeteners upregulated genes associated with resistance, oxidative stress, and virulence compared to the glucose control. Additionally, we observed the effects of artificial sweeteners on iron uptake-related genes in E. coli, suggesting potential implications for bacterial ferroptosis that require further validation.
Conclusions:
Exposure to artificial sweeteners at CAC-permitted doses is associated with reduced antibiotic susceptibility and may affect bacterial function. Therefore, the safety of artificial sweeteners as substitutes for natural sugars requires careful consideration and further in vivo validation.
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Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...
Inhibitors of Bacterial Protein Synthesis

