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

BACKGROUND: 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 alpha-tocopherol protects the body against oxidative stress and its related complications. This study was proposed to examine the protective effect of alpha-tocopherol against MSG-induced biochemical and histological alterations in blood and cardiac tissue of rats for a period of 180 days. RESULTS: 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 alpha-tocopherol (200 mg kg-1) significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated the MSG-induced biochemical alterations in serum and cardiac tissue. alpha-Tocopherol also prevented the pathological changes in cardiac tissue when compared with the MSG-treated group. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a-tocopherol may have a protective effect against MSG-induced cardiotoxicity, possibly through its antioxidant activity. Copyright (c) 2012 Society of Chemical Industry