Light and electron microscopic studies on lung and myocardium of the mice fetuses maternally treated with monosodium glutamate and role of vitamin E against toxicity

ABSTRACT

The lung and myocardium of fetal mice were used in the present investigation as a model to evaluate the possible effect of monosodium glutamate as one of the flavor food additives. Vitamin E was also used as one of the antioxidant agents against wide range of cellular damage. In this study, light microscopic examination revealed that monosodium glutamate caused narrowing of the lung airways, thickening of the alveolar walls and collapsing of the alveoli. The cardiac muscles showed severe atrophy and abundance of blood capillaries. The ultrastructure studies revealed remarkable damage of type I and type II pneumocytes as well as the endothelial cells. Severely degenerated alveolar areas and accumulated collagen bundles were detected in the alveolar wall. The ultrastructure of the fetal myocardium revealed severe atrophy and destruction of cardiac muscle fibers. Some of these fibers tend to accumulate around blood capillaries which lined by attenuated endothelium. Numerous fibroblasts, fibrillary network, collagen and macrophages were obvious in the myocardium of these fetuses. Light and ultrastructural results showed that the treatment of pregnant mice with vitamin E leads to apparent repair of the lung tissues that may suggest a remarkable efficacy of this vitamin against pulmonary damage. On the other hand, the protective effect of vitamin E on the fetal myocardium was weak