Objective:To analyze the excitotoxicity of monosodium glutamate(MSG)in the offspring crebral cortex and hippocampal subresions after maternal oral administration of MSG.Methods:Kunming mice were given per os MSG(4.0g/kg)at 17-21 days of pregnancy and their offspring behaviors were studied at 10,20,30days postnatally.By using inmunohistochemical means,the involvment of Bcl-2 and bax in the glutamate-induced cell death in cortical and hippocampal neurons were examined.Cell damage was assessed by direct cell counting.Results:administration of monosodium glutamate during the fetal period in mice resulted in a moderate increase in the expression of Bax in principal neurons in CA1,CA2,CA3,CA4 and in the cerebral cortex at postpartum 10,20,30 days in the offspring mice,whereas Bcl-2 protein expressions were reduced significantly in the same regions as compared with those of controls.Conclusion:These findings suggest that glutamate toxicity results in cellular death via an apoptotic mechanism in which the Bcl-2/Bax-alpha molecular complex may be involved.The glutamate-induced apoptosis appears to be related to the modulation of Bcl-2 family gene products such as Bcl-2 and Bax.
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