In the present study, the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of the low-caloric
artificial sweetener maltitol, which is a
sugar alcohol (
polyol), were investigated in the bone marrow cells of rats using the
chromosome aberration (CA) test. In addition, the teratogenicity and embryotoxicity of
maltitol was also investigated in rats. To reveal the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of
maltitol, rats were intraperitoneally administered 2.5, 5 and 10 g/kg
body weight (bw) concentrations of
maltitol for 6, 12 and 24 h treatment period. The pregnant females were intraperitoneally treated with 1, 2 and 4 g/kg bw/day concentrations of
maltitol during the first 7 days of gestation (first trimester) to investigate the teratogenicity of
maltitol. The embryos were collected after killing the dams by cervical dislocation under
ether anaesthesia on gestation day 19.
Maltitol did not induce the CA and did not decrease the mitotic index in bone marrow cells of rats at all concentrations and treatment periods. In addition,
maltitol was not teratogenic; however, it decreased the foetuses weight and at the highest dose (4 g/kg bw) caused growth retardation.