Glutamate Agonists May Affect the Hematological Profile in Healthy Rats

Aims: Even though glutamate is one of the primary endogenous amino acids of the Central Nervous System (CNS) its subunit receptors exist also in non-neuronal tissues outside CNS such as the hematopoietic system. The purpose of this paper is to define the possible in vivo effect of glutamate ionotropic agonist Monosodium l-glutamate (MSG) in the hematopoietic system of Wistar adult rats.
Methodology: MSG was administrated intravenously in male Wistar rats of 250-350g weight. Animals treated with MSG (n = 24) were compared to a control group (n = 10). Full blood count with differential, aggregation intensity and bone marrow cellularity were evaluated 12 and 24 hours after drug administration. The results were analyzed by unpaired t-test.
Results: MSG showed to affect white blood cell count in a negative way whereas it provoked an increase in Hemoglobin (Hb) and Hematocrit (Hct) levels. Aggregation was only transiently affected using ADP as an agonist and bone marrow counts showed a trend towards normalization.
Conclusion: It is concluded that MSG can affect the hematological profile and bone marrow cellular composition of healthy intact rats as well as blood elements functions. Our results suggest a possible role for glutamate receptors on the hematopoietic system’s pathophysiology. Further research is needed in order to better characterize the in vivo effect of glutamate receptors agonists and antagonists on blood elements and bone marrow.