To study the effect of monosodium glutamate on histomorphometry of cortex of kidney in adult albino rats

Abstract

Thousands of chemicals are being used recently in our new high tech foods like ready to eat Japanese, Chinese, packaged and tinned foods. Most food additives act as either preservatives or flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate (MSG), a sodium salt of glutamic acid. The present study investigated the effect of intraperitoneally administered MSG on cortex of the kidneys of adult albino Wistar rats and compared with control group. The histomorphometry done by calibrating with ocular micrometer on kidney tissue of control and experimental group revealed a significant difference in glomeruli with increase in length, size of bowman's capsule with an increase in bowman's space. The size of renal tubules could not be compared as the cells of these tubules in experimental group were disintegrated and distorted. In the experimental group (rats treated with 4 mg MSG/g body weight), the cortex of the kidneys developed variable pathological changes, which were patchy in distribution with intervening normal areas. There was distortion of renal cytoarchitecture. Many glomeruli (66.4%) showed hypercellularity, i.e., cellular proliferation of mesangial or endothelial cells and infiltration of inflammatory cells. The capillary membrane showed thickening as was evident on PAS stain. Since MSG, as a food additive, was found to be toxic on various organs of the body by various researchers, it should perhaps be stopped from being used as a food additive. This may be a suggestion which needs validation in human studies.

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

“…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.…”

Nephrotoxic and Prooncogenic Effects of Monosodium Glutamate in Quail (Coturnix japonica)

“…Some of the sections of kidney tissue at E3 group showed dilatation of renal tubules with intralumenal hyaline casts, swelling in Bowman's capsule, injured brush border of proximal convoluted tubules, necrotic lesions of the urinary tubules. Similar findings were observed in rat kidney studies done by Abass and Abd El-Haleem (2011) and Dixit et al (2014). MSG generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) causing oxidative stress by endogenous antioxidants depletion in the kidneys, which leads to lipids, proteins, DNA, RNA oxidation, which in the end will produce cellular alterations (Paul et al, 2012, Sharma et al, 2014.…”

Neuroprotective Potential of Allium sativum against Monosodium Glutamate-Induced Excitotoxicity: Impact on Short-Term Memory, Gliosis, and Oxidative Stress

“…Third group (MSG group): Rats were injected intraperitoneally with MSG (Sigma-Aldrich Co, St. Louis, MO, USA.) Sigma-Aldrich,) dissolved in physiological saline 4 g/kg of body weight for 7 successive days, then left without treatment until the 30th day of the experiment [33].…”