Structural changes in the stomach and blood gastrin levels in rats under the influence of prolonged administration of monosodium glutamate

Abstract

Introduction. The use of monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer may have toxic effects on health, which requires further research in this area. The purpose of the study: to investigate structural changes in the stomach and blood gastrin levels in rats under the influence of prolonged oral administration of monosodium glutamate. Object and research methods. The experiment was performed on 40 white nonlinear rats of reproductive age. The experimental animals were divided into 4 groups (10 rats in each group), which received daily oral monosodium glutamate at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight. The effects of 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks of monosodium glutamate administration were studied in groups I, II, III and IV, respectively (depending on the week of decapitation). Control rats (n=20) were administered placebo (0.5 ml of drinking tap water at room temperature) for 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. Intact control animals were also divided into 4 groups of 5 rats each, depending on the week of decapitation. The animals were weighed before decapitation. The level of serum gastrin was determined, and the state of the gastric mucosa was examined. Research results and their discussion. The administration of monosodium glutamate at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight to rats leads to multiple erosive and ulcerative lesions of the gastric mucosa. Prolonged 8-week administration of monosodium glutamate leads to an increase in the area, depth of the ulcerative defect, and the number of ulcers in one stomach. Monosodium glutamate in the appropriate dosage leads to hypergastrinemia in rats already at the 2nd week of the experiment. The maximum values of gastrin in the rat serum were diagnosed at the end of the 8th week of the experiment (156.4±2.15 pg/ml). Thus, under the action of monosodium glutamate on the gastric mucosa, its acid-peptic activity increases, resulting in multiple erosions and ulcers in rats. Conclusions. 1. Oral administration of 15 mg/kg of monosodium glutamate to rats in experimental conditions leads to the formation of erosive and ulcerative changes in the gastric mucosa. At the same time, with the increase in the term of administration of monosodium glutamate, the size and number of erosions and ulcers in the gastric mucosa (in animals of groups III and IV) increased. 2. Prolonged use of monosodium glutamate at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight increases the level of gastrin in the blood serum with the most pronounced changes when administered to rats up to 8 weeks of age (156.4±2.15 pg/ml). A direct correlation between the severity of hypergastrinemia and the number and size of erosive and ulcerative defects in the gastric mucosa in rats was established, with the most pronounced changes in group IV of experimental animals.