Abstract

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is commonly used as a flavor enhancer; nevertheless, evidence of early, subclinical kidney damage from short-term oral exposure is scarce. This study assessed dose-dependent proximal tubular damage and its correlation with macroscopic renal observations after graded MSG delivery in rats. Sixteen male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 4/group): a control group and three groups receiving monosodium glutamate (MSG) at doses of approximately 750, 1500, or 2250 mg/kg/day (MSG750, MSG1500, MSG2250) through oral gavage for a duration of 14 days. Post-necropsy, the kidneys were evaluated macroscopically (kidney weight index, linear dimensions, gross lesions) and histologically. Proximal tubular epithelial cells were enumerated in 20 non-overlapping cortical high-power fields (HPFs) per rat and classified as normal, degenerative, or necrotic; the counts were aggregated to obtain the total number of cells per 20 HPFs. Group disparities were assessed utilizing one-way ANOVA accompanied by Tukey’s post-hoc analyses. The macroscopic appearance, kidney weight index, and renal dimensions were consistent between groups (all p > 0.05). Conversely, histology revealed a pronounced dose–response relationship: normal tubular cell counts diminished progressively, whereas degenerative and necrotic cell counts increased significantly with escalating MSG doses (overall one-way ANOVA, p < 0.01).The highest-dose group demonstrated significant tubular degeneration and necrosis, despite maintaining general morphological integrity. In summary, short-term high-dose oral MSG causes significant, dose-dependent harm to the proximal tubules, which may not be evident upon gross inspection, indicating that the proximal tubule is an early and sensitive target in MSG-related nephrotoxicity.

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