Synergistic effect of a monosodium glutamate/aspartame mixture on zebrafish larval neurobehavior in comparison with the ADHD symptoms
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1
Université de Liège, GIGA Institute, Laboratory for Organogenesis and Regeneration, Belgium
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2
Université de Namur, Faculty of Medicine, Molecular Physiology Research Unit (present address),, Belgium
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3
VNU University of Science, Faculty of Biology, Department of Cell Biology, Vietnam
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame (Asp) are two of the most widely used, yet controversial food flavoring agents whose potential neurotoxicity – especially their link to childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – has been a debated topic for decades. In this study, we aimed to use the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryonic model to study the possible neurobehavioral effects of these food additives and their mixture, with emphasis on their similarity to ADHD.
Our zebrafish embryo toxicity test (ZET) revealed MSG to be weakly teratogenic with a teratogenic index (TI) of 1.8 while Asp exhibited no morphological nor lethal effect on zebrafish embryos after 96 hours of exposure. Interestingly, we have found that a MSG/Asp mixture can synergistically induce zebrafish larval hyperactivity during the dark phases of alternative light-dark cycles. In parallel, we have established a zebrafish ADHD models by perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) treatment and compare its symptoms with those induced by the food additives.
This study demonstrated that the zebrafish embryo is a cost-effective in vivo model for screening the potential neurobehavioral effects of food additives and their mixtures, as well as other chemicals. Also, our data suggest the need for more comprehensive safety assessments of food additives within the context of mixture.
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the the Vietnamese – Wallonie/Bruxelles collaboration project CMP9-10. D.D.T. is a doctoral fellow of Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI), M.M. is a “Chercheur Qualifié du F.N.R.S.”. We wish to thank the GIGA-R zebrafish facility for providing zebrafish adults for spawning,
Keywords:
ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
Zebrafish,
Food Additives,
Aspartame,
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Conference:
Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council, LIEGE, Belgium, 19 Oct - 19 Oct, 2018.
Presentation Type:
e-posters
Topic:
NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR NEUROLOGICAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS: SCIENTIFIC BASIS AND VALUE FOR PATIENT-CENTERED CARE
Citation:
Duy Thanh
D,
Van Den Bossche
F,
Lai Thanh
N and
Muller
M
(2019). Synergistic effect of a monosodium glutamate/aspartame mixture on zebrafish larval neurobehavior in comparison with the ADHD symptoms.
Front. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2018.95.00045
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Received:
15 Aug 2018;
Published Online:
17 Jan 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Marc Muller, Université de Liège, GIGA Institute, Laboratory for Organogenesis and Regeneration, Liège, Belgium, m.muller@uliege.be