Effect of monosodium glutamate on serum sex hormones and uterine histology in female rats along with its molecular docking and in-silico toxicity

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is commonly used worldwide as a food flavour enhancer by the food industry. The current study investigated the in vivo toxic effects of MSG on the uterus in adult female Sprague Dawley rats and in vitro using MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, computational toxicity and molecular docking. The average levels of progesterone and oestrogen in the MSG-treated animals significantly altered. Besides, the average uterine lumen area (μm(2)) was smaller than the control group. MSG showed high-affinity binding to acetylcholine receptors and disrupted the normal nerve signal with a predicted LD50 of 4500 mg/kg. MSG also demonstrated good binding affinity to human oestrogen receptors beta and some other proteins that have an oxidative stress role in the female reproductive organs. Therefore, a precaution should be taken when utilising this compound, especially for females under the risk factor of hormonal abnormality.