ABSTRACT

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a widely used flavor enhancer could induce hepatic injury in humans while artemether lumefantrine is a combination of two medications artemether and lumefantrine used to treat malaria caused by plasmodium falciparum. This study investigated catalase activity, magnesium and albumin concentration in the heart homogenate of normal and monosodium glutamate-intoxicated rats co-treated with artemether-lumefantrine. The rats were randomly assigned into six groups of five (5) rats each thus; group 1 (control) rats were fed normal rat feed and water; group 2 (ACT therapeutic group) were exposed to normal therapeutic dose of ACT therapeutic dose (14.29 mg/kg); group 3 (ACT high dose group) were exposed to x5 ACT therapeutic dose (71.43 mg/kg); group 4 (MSG group) were exposed to high monosodium glutamate (8000mg/kg); group 5 (treatment group 1) were exposed to MSG (8000mg/kg) co-treated normal therapeutic dose of ACT (14.29 mg/kg); group 6 (treatment group 2) were exposed to MSG (8000mg/kg) co-treated x5 ACT therapeutic dose (71.43 mg/kg). A significant decrease (P<0.05) was observed in catalase activity in the group receiving treatment of MSG and therapeutic dose of ACT. The Magnesium concentration of the normal group were significantly (P<0.05) lower than that of MSG + ACT THERAPEUTIC and showed a similar trend in MSG ± ACT HIGH when compared to normal in a dose dependent manner. While the Albumin concentration of the normal group were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of MSG + ACT THERAPEUTIC and MSG + ACT HIGH. The effect of the co-treatment of monosodium glutamate and artemether-lumefantrine in rats as carried out in this study has shown fluctuations in the relative concentration of the catalase activity, magnesium concentration and the concentration of serum albumin on increasing the dosage of both the drug and the food additive (monosodium glutamate). Hence, co-treatment of ACT with MSG could ameliorate MSG-intoxication on the antioxidant status of rats.