Ameliorative effect of α-tocopherol on monosodium glutamate-induced cardiac histological alterations and oxidative...

Chronic oral intake of high doses of monosodium glutamate (MSG) causes oxidative stress. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of cardiac dysfunction and injury. Supplementation with α-tocopherol protects the body against oxidative stress and its related complications. This study was proposed to examine the protective effect of α-tocopherol against MSG-induced biochemical and histological alterations in blood and cardiac tissue of rats for a period of 180 days.

Chronic oral administration of MSG (4 g kg(-1)) caused oxidative stress that was manifested by significant increase (P < 0.05) in malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes and by the decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase in cardiac tissue. The significantly increased (P < 0.05) activities of aspartate transaminase, creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase in serum suggested a cardiac functional disorder. Moreover, heart muscle fibers showed cloudy swelling, fiber separation and vascular congestion. Administration of α-tocopherol (200 mg kg(-1)) significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated the MSG-induced biochemical alterations in serum and cardiac tissue. α-Tocopherol also prevented the pathological changes in cardiac tissue when compared with the MSG-treated group.

Our findings suggest that α-tocopherol may have a protective effect against MSG-induced cardiotoxicity, possibly through its antioxidant activity.