Table 3.
Summary of the analyzed in vitro studies.
| Reference | Sweeteners/Doses/Duration | Methods | Bacteria | Results/Conclusions Saccharine and/or Sucralose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpaz et al., 2018 [38] | Aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame potassium-k (ace-k). ADI (FDA) |
Bioluminescent | E. coli strains (TV1061, DPD2544 and DPD2794) | Toxic effects |
| Wang et al., 2018 [39] | Sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, and rebaudioside Liquid assay: equal molarity of sodium chloride/5 h Agar: 1.25% (w/v) sucralose and 2.5% (w/v) sucralose/24 h |
Liquid culture assay. LB agar plate assay |
E. coli HB101 and E. coli K-12 | Bacteriostatic effects |
| Markus V, et al., 2021 [40] | Aspartame, sucralose, saccharin Bioluminescence assay, growth assay: 10 µL non-calorie sweeteners or sports supplements. Swarming motility assay: aspartame (1.36 mM), sucralose (25.2 mM), or saccharine (2.72 mM) QS competition assay using Chromobacterium Violaceum CV026/20 h |
Biosensor assays, biophysical protein characterization methods, microscale thermophoresis, swarming motility assays, growth assays, and molecular docking |
E coli K802NR and P. aeruginosa lasRI P. aeruginosa PAO1 C. violaceum (CV026) |
Inhibition of quorum sensing |
| Gerasimidis C et al., 2020 [41] | Aspartame-based sweetener, sucralose, stevia 50% ADI (male, w: 75 kg) |
Gas chromatography | Total bacteria (feces from healthy individuals) and 5 bacterial groups (Bacteroides/Prevotella, Bifidobacterium, B. coccoides, C. leptum and E. coli) | Sucralose: shifted microbiome community structure ↔ bacterial populations ↑ Escherichia/Shigella |
| Shil A and Chichger, H, 2021 [42] | Saccharin, sucralose, and aspartameGrowth curve: 0.1 to 1000 µM/4 d Biofilm formation assay: 100 µM/48 h Haemolysis assay, adhesion assay, and invasion assay: 100 M/24 h Cytotoxicity assay: 100 M/48 h |
Models of microbiota and the intestinal epithelium (Caco-2 cells) |
E. coli NCTC10418 and E. faecalis ATCC19433 S. aureus |
Saccharin bacteriostatic effects Saccharin, sucralose: ↑ biofilm formation ↑ ability of bacteria to adhere to, invade, and kill gut epithelial cells (exception saccharin on E. coli) Negative effect on intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis and permeability |
| Vamanu E et al., 2019 [43] | Sodium cyclamate, sucralose, sodium saccharin, steviol, white sugar 40 mg active substance (more than 90% purity) | Static GIS1 simulator (three segments of the human colon) | Total microbial (feces from healthy individuals) | Saccharin: ↓ number of microorganisms; ↓ SCFAs Both: ↓ phylum Firmicutes; ↓ fermentative processes; ↑ colonic pH; ↑ 10% ammonia synthesized; ↓ SCFAs |
ADI: acceptable daily intake; SCFA: short-chain fatty acid. ↔: unmodified; ↑: increase; ↓: decrease.