To the content
3 . 2021

Influence of monosodium glutamate consumption by albino rats during pregnancy and lactation on their offspring

Abstract

The consequences of dietary intake of significant amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG) are the excess body weight; structural and functional disorders of the central nervous system, liver, kidneys. We have not found information about the influence of excessive using of the MSG by a woman during pregnancy and lactation on the fetus and infants.

The aim of the study was the experimental evaluation of the MSG consumption consequences during pregnancy and lactation to the offspring health.

Material and methods. The offspring of 3-month old pregnant female white Wistar rats, who received 1% MSG solution (200 mg per kg of body weight per day) ad libitum as the source of liquid during the pregnancy and lactation, have been studied (MSG group). The control group included offspring of pregnant female rats that received water as the source of liquid. In 25-day-old offspring histological examination and morphometry of the nucleo-nucleolar apparatus of neurons in the neocortex of the proper parietal lobe, cardiomyocytes of the subendocardial zones of the left and right ventricles have been performed. Gravimetry have been also carried out (body weight and weight of brain, heart, liver, kidney, thymus and spleen); mitotic activity of anterior corneal epithelium has been evaluated, the state of erythrocyte membranes have been analyzed by the method of acid erythrograms; behavioral tests “Open field”, “The elevated plus-maze test”, “Hanging on a horizontal wire” have been performed.

Results. MSG consumption during pregnancy and lactation led to an increase of brain (by 19.1%) and kidneys (by 7.8%) relative masses; masses of thymus and spleen were decreased. Significant decrease of locomotor activity and increase of time of hanging in “horizontal wire test” were registered. A histological study showed an increase in the number of nucleoli in the neurons of the V layer of the neocortex of the proper parietal lobe (control - 1.56±0.09; MSG group - 1.81±0.07, р=0.03); decrease of the nucleolar parameters of cardiomyocytes; increase of mitotic activity of anterior corneal epithelium (control - 4.021±0.612‰; MSG group -6.985±0.889‰, р=0.019). A decrease of the resistance of erythrocyte membranes to acid hemolysis was also registered.

Conclusion. The results obtained indicate the effect of oral consumption of MSG food additive during pregnancy and lactation on the organism of the offspring.

Keywords:monosodium glutamate, pregnancy, offspring, brain, myocardium, behavioral tests

Funding. The study was not sponsored.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

For citation: Gusev I.A., Samarina EYu., Plotonenko Z.A., Kostyrko G.D., Маlykh M.V., Ilinykh A.V., Sazonova E.N. Influence of monosodium glutamate consumption by albino rats during pregnancy and lactation on their offspring. Voprosy pitaniia [Problems of Nutrition]. 2021; 90 (3): 58-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33029/0042-8833-2021-90-3-58-66 (in Russian)

References

1. Halim J., Bouzari A., Felder D., Guinard J.X. The Salt Flip: Sensory mitigation of salt (and sodium) reduction with monosodium glutamate (MSG) in «Better-for-You» foods. J Food Sci. 2020; 85 (9): 2902–14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15354

2. Zanfirescu A., Ungurianu A., Tsatsakis A.M., et al. A review of the alleged health hazards of monosodium glutamate. Сompr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2019; 18 (4): 1111–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12448

3. Williams A.N., Woessner K.M. Monosodium glutamate «allergy»: menace or myth? Clin Exp Allergy. 2009; 39 (5): 640–6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2222.2009.03221.x.

4. Nathanael J., Harsono H.C.A., Wibawa A.D., et al. The genetic basis of high-carbohydrate and high-monosodium glutamate diet related to the increase of likelihood of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a review. Endocrine. 2020; 69 (1): 18–29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-020-02256-x

5. Sasaki Y., Suzuki W., Shimada T., et al. Dose dependent development of diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in monosodium glutamate-induced obese mice. Life Sci. 2009; 85 (13–14): 490–8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2009.07.017

6. Hazzaa S.M., El-Roghy E.S., Abd Eldaim M.A., Elgarawany G.E. Monosodium glutamate induces cardiac toxicity via oxidative stress, fibrosis and p53 proapoptotic protein expression in rats. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020; 27 (16): 20 014–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08436-6

7. Farombi E.O., Onyema O.О. Monosodium glutamate-induced oxidative damage and genotoxicity in the rat: modulatory role of vitamin C, vitamin E and quercetin. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2006; 25 (5): 251–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/0960327106ht621oa

8. Firgany A.E.L., Sarhan N.R. Quercetin mitigates monosodium glutamate-induced excitotoxicity of the spinal cord motoneurons in aged rats via p38 MAPK inhibition. Acta Histochem. 2020; 122 (5): 151554. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acthis.2020.151554

9. Hernandez-Ojeda M., Ureña-Guerrero M.E., Gutierrez-Barajas P.E., et al. KB-R7943 reduces 4-aminopyridine-induced epileptiform activity in adult rats after neuronal damage induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment. J Biomed Sci. 2017; 24 (1): 1–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-017-0335-y

10. Prastiwi D., Djunaidi A., Partadiredja G. High dosage of monosodium glutamate causes deficits of the motor coordination and the number of cerebellar Purkinje cells of rats. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2015; 34 (11): 1171–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0960327115572706

11. Konrad S.P., Farah V., Rodrigues B., et al. Monosodium glutamate neonatal treatment induces cardiovascular autonomic function changes in rodents. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2012; 67 (10): 1209–14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2012(10)14

12. Nakanishi Y., Tsuneyama K., Fujimoto M., et al. Monosodium glutamate (MSG): a villain and promoter of liver inflammation and dysplasia. J Autoimmun. 2008; 30 (1–2): 42–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2007.11.016

13. Simankova A.A., Sazonova E.N. Remore results of opioid peptide dalargin effect on structural functional parameters of albino rats brain in the early postnatal ontogenesis. Dal’nevostochniy meditsinskiy zhurnal [Far Eastern Medical Journal]. 2015; (1): 59–63 (in Russian)

14. Leonova V.G. Analysis of erythrocytes population in human ontogenesis. Novosibirsk: Nauka; 1987: 241 p. (in Russian)

15. Korzhevsky D.E. Method of nucleoli detection in nuclei of cell of different tissues. Arkhiv anatomii, gistologii i emberiologii [Archive of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology]. 1990; 98 (2): 58–60. (in Russian)

16. Tawfik M.S., Al-Badr N. Adverse effects of monosodium glutamate on liver and kidney functions in adult rats and potential protective effect of vitamins C and E. Food Nutr Sci. 2012; 3 (5): 651–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/fns.2012.35089

17. Pavlović V., Cekić S., Kocić G., et al. Effect of Monosodium glutamate on apoptosis and Bcl-2/Bax protein level in rat thymocyte culture. Physiol Res. 2007; 56 (5): 619–26.

18. Boulon S., Westman B.J., Hutten S., et al. The nucleolus under stress. Mol Cell. 2010; 40 (2): 216–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2010.09.024

19. Zhou Y., Danbolt N.C. Glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the healthy brain. J Neural Transm. 2014; 121: 799–817. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-014-1180-8

20. Gudiño-Cabrera G., Ureña-Guerrero M.E. Excitotoxicity triggered by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment and blood-brain barrier function. Arch Med Res. 2014; 45 (8): 653–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arcmed.2014.11.014

21. Fricker M., Tolkovsky A.M., Borutaite V., et al. Neuronal cell death. Physiol Rev. 2018; 98 (2): 813–80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00011.2017

22. Gusev I.A. Effect of monosodium glutamate intake during pregnancy and lactation on the liver condition of the offspring of white rats. Smolenskiy meditsinskiy al’manakh [Smolensk Medical Almanac]. 2020; (1): 81–4. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/vliyanie-upotrebleniya-glutamata-natriya-vo-vremya-beremennosti-i-laktatsii-na-sostoyanie-pecheni-potomstva-belyh-krys/viewer (in Russian)

23. Eid R.A., Al-Shraim M., Zaki M.S., et al. Vitamin E protects against monosodium glutamate-induced acute liver injury and hepatocyte ultrastructural alterations in rats. Ultrastruct Pathol. 2019; 43 (4–5): 199–208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01913123.2019.1673860

24. Amagase K., Nakamura E., Kato S., Takeuchi K. Glutamate as a potencial protective drug in the gastrointestinal mucosa. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2015; 135 (6): 779–82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1248/yakushi.14-00250-3

25. Calis I.U., Cosan D.T., Saydam F., et al. The effects of monosodium glutamate and tannic acid on adult rats. Iran Red Crescent Med. J. 2016; 18 (10): e37912. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5812/ircmj.37912

All articles in our journal are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0 license)

SCImago Journal & Country Rank
Scopus CiteScore
CHIEF EDITOR
CHIEF EDITOR
Viktor A. Tutelyan
Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Scientific Director of the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety (Moscow, Russia)

Journals of «GEOTAR-Media»