Benzoic acid and acesulfame K together in kidney cell tests
What it found
In lab tests on human kidney cells, benzoic acid and acesulfame K combined had a stronger anti-proliferative effect than either alone.
The authors say this points to a possible synergistic kidney effect.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Benzoic acid alone
In lab tests on HK2 kidney cells, benzoic acid alone slowed cell growth and lowered beta-catenin, which is made by CTNNB1.
Acesulfame K alone
Acesulfame K alone did not significantly slow cell growth but turned on STAT3 signaling.
Combined effect
When the two were combined, they had a much stronger effect on slowing cell growth. The authors say this is because benzoic acid weakened kidney tubule repair while acesulfame K increased inflammation and injury.
Other findings
Computer predictions
Computer models suggested both compounds could affect the kidneys, with shared targets in pathways like response to foreign substances and metabolism.
Core protein targets
Network analysis pointed to CTNNB1 for benzoic acid and STAT3 for acesulfame K as the main targets, and simulations showed stable binding.
What the authors conclude
“This study is the first to reveal that BA and ACE have the potential to synergistically induce nephrotoxicity via the CTNNB1/STAT3 signaling axis, providing new scientific evidence for the systematic safety assessment of mixed food-additive exposures.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say this is the first study to show that benzoic acid and acesulfame K may work together to harm the kidneys through the CTNNB1/STAT3 signaling axis.
- They believe it provides new evidence for assessing the safety of mixed food additive exposures.
How it was done
Benzoic acid and acesulfame K are often found together in food, but little is known about their combined effect on the kidneys.
The researchers used computer predictions, molecular simulations, and lab tests on HK2 human kidney cells. They looked at each compound alone and then together.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab tests on cells, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- The study does not show whether these effects occur at the amounts people normally eat.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China; Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
The paper
- Title
- Co-exposure to benzoic acid and acesulfame K synergistically induces nephrotoxicity through the CTNNB1/STAT3 axis
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Ma Y, Mai X, Fan W, et al (2026). Co-exposure to benzoic acid and acesulfame K synergistically induces nephrotoxicity through the CTNNB1/STAT3 axis. Food and chemical toxicology. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2026.116004PubMed 41655687DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error