Assessment of changes in the liver of pregnant female rats and their fetuses following monosodium glutamate administration

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2021-08, Vol.28 (32), p.44432-44441
• Main Authors: Gad EL-Hak, Heba N., Abdelrazek, Heba M. A., Zeidan, Dalia W., Almallah, Amani A., Khaled, Howayda E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Body weight; Caspase-3; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Female; Females; Fetus; Fetuses; Flavor; Flavoring Agents - adverse effects; Gestation; Glutathione; Lipids; Liver; Liver - drug effects; Male; Monosodium glutamate; Mothers; Nitric Oxide; Packaged food; Polysaccharides; Pregnancy; Rats; Research Article; Rodents; Saccharides; Sodium glutamate; Sodium Glutamate - adverse effects; Superoxide Dismutase; Tissues; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13557-7

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a common flavor enhancer and stabilizer for ready-made or packaged foods. This research investigated the impact of MSG on the maternal and fetal liver. The present study was carried out on sixteen mature female Albino rats and eight male rats of reproductive age. The control group was dissected on day 20 of gestation. MSG group was administrated MSG daily at a dosage of 1 g/5 mL/kg body weight from day 0 to day 20 of gestation. The liver function and lipid profile of the control and treated mothers were investigated in the blood sera. The levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione (GSH) activities in the liver homogenate of maternal and fetal tissue were assayed, in addition to histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical studies were done to the liver tissue. The activities of liver functions and lipid profile significantly altered in the treated mothers with MSG. MSG significantly reduced the SOD and reduced GSH activities in addition to the elevated TNF-α and NO in liver tissue of pregnant mothers and their fetuses. Severe histopathological alterations were observed in both maternal and fetal liver tissues of MSG-treated groups. Moreover, histochemical observations showed a reduction of total polysaccharides in the liver of pregnant rats and fetuses. A significant increase in the percentage area of positive immunoreaction for caspase 3 was observed in the liver of treated rats with MSG compared to the liver of the control. The liver of fetuses treated with MSG revealed an alteration like their mother. This study showed that during the gestational period MSG exposure resulted in several biochemical, histological, and histochemical changes in the maternal and fetal liver tissues which emphasize the toxic effect of MSG.