Keywords
Artificial sweeteners; Drosophila melanogaster; RAS V12 mutation; gastrointestinal motility; metastasis; food additives
Abstract
Artificial sweeteners are widely used sugar substitutes, yet their potential effects on health remain poorly understood. For example, more evidence suggests that frequent consumers of sugar substitutes may also be at increased risk of excessive weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes, which contradicts the original purpose of artificial sweeteners. This thesis investigates the impact of artificial sweeteners on health using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, focusing on three key areas: viability, excretion, and cancer metastasis. Viability assays revealed that flies exposed to artificial sweeteners exhibited a decrease in progeny, with some concentrations increasing progeny but most decreasing it, the most extreme being -51% viability, suggesting a potential toxic effect. This decline in viability was not dose- dependent but was observed across various concentrations of artificial sweeteners. Excretion studies demonstrated that flies exposed to artificial sweeteners produced a higher volume of excreta, the most extreme case being a 75% increase in excreta, indicating potential alterations in metabolic processing or gut physiology. Given the role of waste excretion in systemic homeostasis, these findings suggest that artificial sweeteners may influence key physiological processes beyond nutrition. The metastasis investigation showed increased intensity and spread of fluorescently labeled cancer cells in the flies put on AS food, but more quantitative measurements and mechanism analysis are necessary.
These findings contribute to the growing body of research on artificial sweeteners and their potential implications for cancer biology. Future studies will aim to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects and their relevance to human health.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Aranjuez, George
College
College of Medicine
Department
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Thesis Discipline
Medicine
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Patel, Om R., "Investigating the Effect of Artificial Sweeteners on Fitness and Metastasis in Drosophila melanogaster" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 321.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/321
Rights Statement
