INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS OF SODIUM SACCARIN ON TNF¿ MEDIATED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE PROSTATE OF ADULT RATS

• Grant number: 24/17178-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Sérgio Pereira
• Grantee: André Mascarenhas Guariento
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Saccharin sodium is a non-cariogenic, non-caloric artificial sweetener that is widely used in the food industry. Its consumption, like that of other sweeteners, is used as a healthy alternative to sugar. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a guideline advising against the consumption of these sweeteners. In addition, saccharin has been found to affect the male genital tract by deregulating sex hormones. Substances with this ability to interfere with hormonal homeostasis can affect individuals in embryonic stages and cause damage in adulthood. However, studies on the effects of saccharin are still scarce, and there is a need to investigate its effects during pregnancy, lactation and the potential consequences for the offspring, especially the prostate, which is sensitive to hormonal variations and more susceptible to lesions and carcinogenesis. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and is of great medical importance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the intergenerational effects of sodium saccharin on the prostate of adult rats using the inflammatory marker TNF¿. To this end, pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats will be divided into two experimental groups: Control Group (C): composed of rats that will consume feed and water ad libitum (n=10); Sodium Saccharin Group (S): composed of rats that will consume feed and water ad libitum sweetened with 0.3% sodium saccharin (n=10). After the weaning period, the offspring (F1) will receive feed and water ad libitum, and at 120 days of age they will be euthanized, and the ventral and dorsolateral prostate of each male will be removed, weighed and processed histologically for morphological, histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses.