Long-term artificial sweetener exposure increases the risk of atherosclerosis - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #molecular-mechanisms
- #atherosclerosis
- #artificial-sweeteners
- Long-term exposure to seven artificial sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, NHDC, cyclamate, neotame, saccharin) is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis.
- The study identified 795 targets linked to artificial sweeteners; enrichment analysis showed significant ties to atherosclerosis-related pathways.
- Integration of multi-omics data (GeneCards, DisGeNET, TTD, GEO, WGCNA) pinpointed 13 candidate targets, with MR analysis highlighting SCARB1 and ST14 as core causal genes.
- Molecular docking and dynamics simulations confirmed stable binding between SCARB1/ST14 proteins and artificial sweeteners, suggesting mechanisms involving cholesterol metabolism and macrophage migration.
- Artificial sweeteners may promote atherosclerosis development by modulating SCARB1 (cholesterol metabolism) and ST14 (macrophage migration), providing a theoretical basis for safety evaluation and disease prevention.