Investigating the effects of monosodium glutamate using zebrafish as an animal model

HARSHADA, S JADHAV and Bhargava, Anamika (2019) Investigating the effects of monosodium glutamate using zebrafish as an animal model. Masters thesis, Indian institute of technology Hyderabad.

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Abstract

The main goal of the food industry is to provide consumers with fresh, well-preserved, and palatable food. In the early 20th century, the food industry was blooming. Yet, many were battling to conserve the taste of packed and processed food. MSG came as a perfect solution. Today, it stands as the most commonly used flavor enhancer in the food industry. Yet, concerns were raised after several incidences of Chinese restaurant syndrome (CRS) emerged. To investigate this issue, many short-term human trials and animal studies were conducted. The data obtained were ambiguous, inconclusive, and sometimes irrelevant to the human level of consumption. In this study, we used zebrafish as an animal model to investigate the effect of MSG on development, behavior, and oxidative stress. Embryos were treated with food-grade MSG for 4 days with concentrations varying from 50 to 50,000mg/L at two different developmental periods.MSG induced growth retardation, mortality, and delayed hatching when exposed in the cleavage period at a higher concentration. No change in thigmotaxis and oxidative stress were observed in the 3dpf larvae treated with 500mg/L of MSG. Our study strongly supports the harmful effect of MSG during early period of development when consumed in higher concentration. Thus, we suggest exercising caution in the consumption of MSG, especially in children.

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