Structural changes in the ganglionic layer of the rat cerebellar cortex due to the use of monosodium glutamate and sodium nitrite in combination.

Background: The issue of using many food additives in food is becoming increasingly relevant. The effect of these substances on the nervous system, namely the cerebellum, is not unrelated. There are studies on the impact of food additives individually, but their combined effect has not been studied sufficiently. Therefore, the aim of our study was to determine structural changes in rats' ganglionic layer of the cerebellar cortex under the influence of monosodium glutamate and sodium nitrite in combination.

Methods: The experiment involved 84 white Wistar laboratory rats, which were divided into a control group and five experimental groups. The obtained cerebellar samples were paraffin-embedded and histological sections (3-4) μm thick were made. These sections were stained with hematoxylin, eosin, and silver impregnated by Grimmelius.

Results: After calculating the average thickness of the cerebellar cortex ganglionic layer at different administration periods of monosodium glutamate and sodium nitrite in combination, significant changes were observed after week 1, where this indicator was 1.18 times less than in the control. Also, a decrease in the average thickness was observed after the 4th and 12th and a significant decrease in the 16th week of the study, namely by 1.61 times, 1.43 times and 1.77 times, respectively. It indicates substantial structural changes in the ganglionic layer.

Conclusions: The study found that the ganglionic layer is formed of a single row of Purkinje cells, and they, in turn, are the main functional link in the entire grey matter of the cerebellum, which suggests that the use of a complex of food additives causes functional disorders of the cerebellum as a whole.