Introduction: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) as a flavour enhancer is still being widely used in a range of diet formulations. Several studies have recently revealed undesirable side effects of its long-term intake. The immune system is a potential target of toxicity following chemicals exposure. Thymus is a primary lymph organ which produces immunocompetent T cells. It enhances the maturation of lymphoid precursors into T cells to establish the T cell pool during life in human.
Aim of the Work: To evaluate the toxic effect of MSG on the thymus of adult male albino rat and the possible protecting role of vitamin C when administered concomitantly.
Materials and Methods: Forty adult male albino rats were used for this work and were divided randomly into four equal groups; Group 1 used as control, Group II received 100 mg/kg vitamin C, Group 3: received 3 g/kg MSG and Group 4 received both MSG and vitamin C concomitantly. Both drugs were given once daily orally. After 60 days the thymus glands were obtained and processed for histological, immunohistochemical using caspase 3, morphometric and statistical studies.
Results: MSG administration resulted in marked decrease in thymic cellularity with significant increase in caspase 3 positive cells in association with ultrastructural changes in the thymocytes and epithelial reticular cells. Concomitant administration of vitamin C with MSG reduced the previous histological alteration with decrease in caspase 3 positive cells.
Conclusion: Monosodium glutamate affects the histological structure of the thymus gland and its concomitant administration with vitamin C diminished its thymic toxicity.