Aspartame subacute exposure does not affect immune system of BALB/c mice following a tiered approach

Background: The objective of the present study was to assess potential immunotoxic effects of aspartame in BALB/c mice. Methods: Aspartame was administered orally at 400 and 2000 mg/kg for two weeks (five days per week). Specific parameters of humoral and cellular immune responses including hemagglutinating antibody (HA) titer, cytokine production (IFN-gamma and IL-4 levels), delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to SRBCs, histopathological examination of spleen and bone marrow, and T-lymphocyte proliferation in response to phytohemagglutinin-A (PHA) were evaluated. Results and conclusion: Aspartame at 400 and 2000 mg/kg did not significantly change hematological and histopathological parameters, HA titer, IFN-gamma and IL-4 levels, DTH, and lymphoproliferation responses (p > 0.05). Aspartame at 400 and 2000 mg/kg did not induce any noticeable effects in immune system parameters of mice after a 14-day feeding. Aspartame was found to be safe to BALB/c mice immune system.