Stevia, miraculin and mogroside V effects on gut barrier cells
What it found
In lab tests on human gut cells, stevia did not harm the cell barrier, while miraculin and mogroside V increased oxidative stress and disrupted the barrier.
These effects depended on a sweet taste receptor called T1R3.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Cell survival
Miraculin and mogroside V reduced the survival of lab-grown human gut cells at 24 and 48 hours. Stevia had no effect on cell survival at any concentration or time tested.
Oxidative stress
Miraculin and mogroside V increased oxidative stress in the cells, but less than saccharin did. Stevia did not increase oxidative stress.
Barrier disruption
At a low dose that did not kill cells, miraculin and mogroside V made the cell barrier leakier and reduced its electrical resistance. Stevia left the barrier intact.
Sweet taste receptor
When the sweet taste receptor T1R3 was reduced in the cells, the harmful effects of miraculin and mogroside V were prevented. This shows the effects go through T1R3.
Junction gene changes
Miraculin and mogroside V changed the activity of many genes involved in cell junctions, including some linked to leaky barriers. Stevia did not change these genes.
What the authors conclude
“These findings demonstrate that miraculin and mogroside V, but not stevia, negatively regulate ROS formation and intestinal epithelial barrier function in a T1R3-dependent manner and potentially through modulation of tight junction proteins.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that miraculin and mogroside V, despite being natural, can harm intestinal epithelial function in ways similar to artificial sweeteners like saccharin, mainly through T1R3-dependent pathways.
- They note that stevia appears protective for gut health in this model.
- They call for further in vivo and clinical studies to see whether these lab findings translate to people.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether natural sweeteners affect the gut lining, since artificial sweeteners like saccharin are known to disrupt it. They focused on stevia, miraculin and mogroside V because these are increasingly used but little studied in the human intestine.
They grew human Caco-2 cells as a model of the intestinal lining and exposed them to stevia, miraculin, mogroside V or saccharin at various concentrations for 24 or 48 hours. They measured cell survival, oxidative stress, barrier leakiness, electrical resistance and the activity of genes related to cell junctions.
What it can’t tell you
- These are lab tests on human cells, not studies in people or animals. They cannot show what happens in a living human gut.
- The study measured gene activity, not protein levels or where proteins are located in the cell, so it cannot show whether the gene changes lead to real barrier problems.
- The authors note that other studies have found beneficial effects of mogroside V and miraculin, so the results may depend on dose, context and molecular structure.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
- Authors work at
- Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh; Anglia Ruskin University School of Life Sciences, UK
The paper
- Title
- The non-synthetic sweeteners, miraculin and mogroside V, but not stevia, disrupt the intestinal epithelial barrier function through a sweet taste receptor-dependent mechanism
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Shil A, Amoakohene O, Chichger H (2025). The non-synthetic sweeteners, miraculin and mogroside V, but not stevia, disrupt the intestinal epithelial barrier function through a sweet taste receptor-dependent mechanism. Scientific reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-28759-zFree full textPubMed 41462549DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error