Testicular and Scrotal Antioxidant and Structural Changes Associated with Monosodium Glutamate in Male Wistar Rats

Allende Caleb Ololade

Faculty of Pharmacy Kampala International University Western Campus Uganda

ABSTRACT

MSG is a common food additive particularly in West African and Asian dishes, generally accepted as a safe requiring no specified average daily intake or an upper limit intake. However, inadvertent abuse of this food additive may occur because of its abundance, mostly without the labelling of many food ingredients. The study aimed to assess the role of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in modulating testicular and scrotal tissue calcium levels, antioxidant activity, and histopathological changes in male Wistar rats. The experimental study involved 30 adult 7-week-old male Wistar rats and collected quantitative and qualitative data. The study found that MSG administration did not affect calcium levels in the scrotum and testis, which had previously been associated with high levels of calcium in urine. The study also found no significant differences in calcium concentrations from the no MSG control group, indicating that the role of MSG in propagating cellular calcium dyshomeostasis in the urogenital system is not justified. Antioxidant (catalase) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were equally not affected by the MSG concentrations and treatment routes used in both scrotum and testicular tissue. This study failed to reproduce toxic effects reported in previous studies and concluded that MSG is safe for human consumption under internationally recommended concentrations, and more studies to show its ability to modulate gene expression remain to be established.

Keywords: Mono sodium glutamate, Calcium, Antioxidant, Urogenital system, Wistar rats

CITE AS: Allende Caleb Ololade (2024). Testicular and Scrotal Antioxidant and Structural Changes Associated with Monosodium Glutamate in Male Wistar Rats. RESEARCH INVENTION JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC AND EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES 3(3):57-64.