• V Pavlovic, D Pavlovic, G Kocic, D Sokolovic, M Sarac, and Z Jovic.
• Institute of Physiology, Medical Faculty University of Nis, Nis, Serbia. vojapav@yahoo.com
• Bratisl Med J. 2009 Jan 1; 110 (4): 205-9.

BackgroundMonosodium glutamate (MSG) is a commonly used flavor enhancer in modern nutrition. It has been shown that administration of MSG induces toxic effects in various regions of brain, thymus, liver and kidney. Also, it is well-documented that Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has a protective role in MSG-induced cytotoxicity in rat liver, kidney and various brain regions, but has not been studied in thymus.ObjectivesIn the present study, we examined the possible protective role of Vitamin C in MSG-induced cytotoxicity in adult (Kindly indicate the strain of rat) rat thymus.Material And MethodsMSG was administrated intraperitoneally (4 mg/g of body weight), with or without Vitamin C (500 mg/kg of body weight), for six consecutive days. Animals were sacrificed at 1st, 7th and 14th day of last MSG dose.ResultsThis study demonstrates that MSG administration in animals significantly decreases cell viability with significant down-regulation of Bcl-2 protein, while Bax protein expression was not significantly changed in rat thymocytes. Vitamin C was effective in ameliorating the effect of MSG in rat thymocytes by increasing the proportion of viable cells and up-regulating the expression of Bcl-2 protein in rat thymocytes.ConclusionThese results suggest that the treatment with Vitamin C may prevent the MSG-induced cytotoxicity in rat thymocytes by up-regulating Bcl-2 protein expression resulting in a change in Bcl-2/Bax protein ratio (Tab. 1, Fig. 1, Ref. 32). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.

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