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Effects of Dietary Vitamin B₆ on the Utilization of Monosodium Glutamate by Rats¹

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

The absorption and utilization of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) have been studied in control and vitamin B₆-deficient rats. When 1 mg of labeled or unlabeled MSG/gram of body weight was administered intraduodenally, higher plasma glutamate but not ¹⁴C levels were observed in the jugular and portal blood of deficient rats than controls. This appeared to be related to decreased tissue utilization and intestinal transmaination of glutamate in deficient animals. Vitamin B₆ deficiency resulted in a delayed clearance from plasma of intravenously administered glutamate. Aspartate and alanine amino-transferases, the two major glutamate transaminases of the intestinal mucosa were measured in pre- and postweanling rats. The activity of these enzymes was low in rats under 21 days of age. They were not affected by pyridoxine administration. Following weaning intestinal transaminase activity was markedly increased by the feeding of diets with adequate vitamin B₆ and further decreased by diets deficient in the vitamin. These studies point up the need in MSG toxicity studies to especially consider the age and state of vitamin B₆ nutriture of the animals used and the routes of MSG administration.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin B₆ deficiency • monosodium glutamate • alanine and aspartate aminotransferases

¹ Supported in part by Public Health Service Research Grant AM-03056 and the Fund for Research and Teaching, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health.

Manuscript received 30 November 1971.