Effect of Monosodium Glutamate and L-Carnitine on Density and Structure of Granular Cells of Cerebellum in Rat

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a widely-used flavor enhancer and stabilizer in ready-made or packaged foods. The excessive use of MSG has been shown to increase oxidative stress in different regions of the brain. In this study, the neuroprotective effect of L-carnitine was investigated against MSG intoxication in granular cell of cerebellum in rats.
48 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: the control, sham (normal saline treated), MSG (3%), L-Carnitine200, MSGCarnitine100 and MSGCarnitine200. After 30 days of treatment, through transcardialy perfusion, the rats were sacrificed and histopathological analyses were conducted on cerebellum.
The results indicated that the density of granular cells in cerebellar folium IV, V and VI of rats in the MSG group had significantly decreased in comparison to that of the control and sham groups. Furthermore, the MSGCarnitine200 group showed the higher density of granular cells compared with the MSG group in the three folia.
Treatment with L-Carnitine could protect the granular cells in cerebellum against MSG intoxication in rats.