Monosodium Glutamate Toxic Effect on Spleen Structure and Potentiality of Recovery in Adult Albino Rats

Abstract

Histological effects of Monosodium glutamate (MSG) commonly used as food additive on the spleen of adult Wistar rats were carefully studied. The rats (n=30), average weight of 115 gm were randomly assigned into four treatments (n=6) and control (n=6) groups. The rats in the treatment groups received 4 mg/kg IP of MSG for fourteen days, while the control group receives the same volume of distilled water intraperitoneally. The rats were sacrificed after the last day of injection (group 1) and on 14 (group 2), 28 (group 3) and 42 day (group 4) after cessation of the treatment with MSG. The spleen was carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde for routine histological study after H&E method. The histological findings after H&E methods for group 1 indicated that the treated sections of the spleen showed atrophy of the while pulp, germinate centers were missing and red pulp of the spleen showed aplasia. The treatment (Group 2) showed vacuolation of some splenic cells with decreased cellularity, and sinusoidal spaces were large. Animals of group 3 showed slight atrophy in the white pulp and aplasia of red pulp where it began to retain normal structure. In the animals sacrificed at the end of the experimental period, the spleen retained its normal structure. These findings indicate that MSG consumption may have some deleterious effects on the spleen of adult Wistar rats which is reversible and does not lead to permanent damage but the normal structure of the spleen would need a long time to be regained. It is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these findings be carried out.

The Effects of Monosodium Glutamate on Thymic and Splenic Immune Functions and Role of Recovery (Biochemical and Histological study)

“…The differentiation between red and the white pulps was distinct. Our results are consistent with those of [81]. They demonstrated that there were varying degrees of cellular recovery that improved with time after cessation of MSG treatment.…”

Pathological study on the effect of some food additives in male albino rats

“…Also the tubule came in contact with toxic chemicals during their excretion and elimination by the kidneys. Other mechanisms for the tubular lesions might involve reactive intermediates or oxidative stress, or both Alden and Frith, (1992) and Ebaid and Tag, (2012). These results agreed with Eweka (2007), Abass and Abd El-Haleem (2011), Eraque (2011), Afeefy et al (2012, Onaolapo et al (2013) and Dixit, et al (2014) who postulated that the degenerative effect of MSG on the cortex and medulla of kidney was due to the direct effect of toxins on cells of kidney which coincided with (Porter, 1994) who reported that one of the possible mechanism for the tubular lesions was the direct toxic effect on the cell function.…”

Answer to letter sent by Dr. M.D. Rogers (Chairman of the International Glutamate Technical Committee (IGTC), Belgium) related to Ataseven et al. article published in Food and Chemical Toxicology 2016; 91:8–18

“…The US FDA, the American Medical Association (AMA), the Joint FAO/WHO (1988) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Union (SCF, 1991) confirmed that the use of MSG is safe for the general population. Contrary to these findings, various studies have reported that MSG had toxic (Abass and Abd El-Haleem, 2011;AL-Mosaibih, 2013;Bojani c et al, 2009;Ebaid and Tag, 2012;Farombi and Onyema, 2006 etc. details were given in our publication) and genotoxic effects (Adeyemo and Farinmade, 2013;Farombi and Onyema, 2006;Ismail, 2012;Khatab and Elhaddad, 2015;Prasath et al, 2013;Renjana et al, 2013;Türko glu, 2015) in some test systems.…”