Toxicity Of Monosodium Glutamate In Young Rats

Intraperitoneal or intragastric injection of monosodium l -glutamate (4 mg/g) to infant rats invariably caused an increase in brain glutamine, never in brain glutamate. The toxicity (convulsions) observed after these doses was not unique to l -glutamate; monosodium l -aspartate or d -glutamate gave similar symptoms. Equimolar doses of glycine did not cause convulstions but did elevate brain glutamine. These results suggest that the toxicity (convulsions) of monosodium l -glutamate is not due to ammonia but to the amino acid anions.