Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 3.0

Effect of Ethanolic Stem Bark Extract of Blighia unijugata (Sapindaceae) on Monosodium Glutamate-Induced Uterine Leiomyoma in Sprague-Dawley Rats

George Asumeng Koffuor, Kofi Annan, James Oppong Kyekyeku, Hope Korshie Fiadjoe, Ernest Enyan

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International · pp. 880–896 · Published 4 Aug 2013

10.9734/BJPR/2013/5402

Abstract

Aims: To establish the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) as an ingredient of artificial food seasonings on the Ghanaian market, and to evaluate the anti-fibroid property of an ethanolic stem bark extract of Blighia unijugata on MSG-induced uterine leiomyoma in Sprague-Dawley rats and its safety for use. Study Design: Survey and Experimental. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacology, CHS; September 2012 and May 2013. Methodology: A survey was conducted to ascertain MSG as an ingredient of Food and Drugs Board approved artificial food seasonings on the Ghanaian Market. Phytochemical screening was performed on an ethanolic, aqueous, and petroleum ether extract of B. unijugata. Thin layer and high performance liquid chromatographic analysis were performed on the ethanolic extract of B. unijugata (EBU), selected after phytochemical screening, to obtain fingerprint chromatograms for identification. Preventive and curative studies (measuring total plasma cholesterol and plasma estradiol and uterus weight) using 50 and 100 mg kg-1 EBU, per os, on 600 and 800 mg kg-1 MSG-induced uterine leiomyoma in Sprague-Dawley rats was conducted. Acute and Delayed toxicity on EBU was tested. Results: Of 21 FDB approved artificial food seasonings, 85.7% had MSG as an ingredient. MSG administration to rats elevated significantly (P ≤ .001) cholesterol, estradiol and uterus weight and size (indicating hyperplasia). Curative treatment reduced significantly (P ≤ .01-.001) the elevated plasma cholesterol and estradiol than preventive treatment. Both treatments however significantly decreased (P ≤ .01-.001) elevated uterus weight. The lethal dose was less than 1000 mg kg-1 p.o. Conclusion: MSG is found in almost all artificial food seasoning on the Ghanaian market which could be a risk factor to the development of uterine leiomyoma. The ethanolic extract of Blighia unijugata reversed hyperplasia induced in the uterus by MSG, making it useful as an anti-fibroid drug.

Uterine fibroid artificial food seasoning monosodium glutamate total plasma cholesterol plasma estradiol.

References (29)

  1. 1 Phytochemical Methods: A Guide to Modern Techniques of Plant Analysis
  2. 2 The useful plants of West Tropical Africa.
  3. 3 Phytochemical Methods. A Guide to Modern Techniques of Plant Analysis. [DOI]
  4. 4 Wilson and Gisvold's Textbook of Organic Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
  5. 5 Cellular Mechanisms of Neurogenic Inflammation [DOI]
  6. 6 The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa [DOI]
  7. 7 Subthalamic nucleus‐mediated excitotoxicity in parkinson's disease: A target for neuroprotection [DOI]
  8. 8 Uterine leiomyomas. Racial differences in severity, symptoms and age at diagnosis.
  9. 9 Modern Aspects of Cutaneous Neurogenic Inflammation [DOI]
  10. 10 A prospective controlled study of the effect of intramural uterine fibroids on the outcome of assisted conception [DOI]
  11. 11 Saponins in Garlic as Modifiers of the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease [DOI]
  12. 12 Impact of intramural leiomyomata in patients with a normal endometrial cavity on in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer cycle outcome [DOI]
  13. 13 Epidemiologic Contributions to Understanding the Etiology of Uterine Leiomyomata [DOI]
  14. 14 Antidiabetic activity and phytochemical screening of crude extract of Stevia rebaudiana in alloxan-induced diabetic rats [DOI]
  15. 15 Mifepristone for treatment of uterine leiomyoma. A prospective randomized placebo controlled trial [DOI]
  16. 16 Dietary phytosterols as cholesterol-lowering agents in humans [DOI]
  17. 17 Protein-saponin interaction and its influence on blood lipids [DOI]
  18. 18 Cholesterol-lowering effects of plant sterol esters and non-esterified stanols in margarine, butter and low-fat foods [DOI]
  19. 19 Inhibition of cholesterol absorption by phytosterol-replete wheat germ compared with phytosterol-depleted wheat germ [DOI]
  20. 20 Phytosterol glycosides reduce cholesterol absorption in humans [DOI]
  21. 21 Karaya root saponin exerts a hypocholesterolemic response in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet [DOI]
  22. 22 Effect of Garlic Extracts on Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Induced Fibroid in Wistar Rats [DOI]
  23. 23 Epidemiologic Contributions to Understanding the Etiology of Uterine Leiomyomata [DOI]
  24. 24 Dietary Karaya Saponin andRhodobacter capsulatusExert Hypocholesterolemic Effects by Suppression of Hepatic Cholesterol Synthesis and Promotion of Bile Acid Synthesis in Laying Hens [DOI]
  25. 25 The Current Use of Estrogens for Growth-Suppressant Therapy in Adolescent Girls [DOI]
  26. 26 Toxicity Evaluation of a Polyherbal Antihypertensive Mixture in Ghana [DOI]
  27. 27 Female genital system and breast [DOI]
  28. 28 Simultaneous uterine leiomyoma and endometrial hiperplasia in a white-nosed monkey (cercopithecus nictitans). First case report
  29. 29 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) [DOI]

Cited by 13

Effect of monosodium glutamate on serum sex hormones and uterine histology in female rats along with its molecular docking and in-silico toxicity

Mahfoudh A.M. Abdulghani, Salah Abdulrazak Alshehade, Sareh Kamran · Heliyon · 2022

Effect of parental perinatal exposure to L-glutamate monosodium salt monohydrate on developmental neurotoxicity in rat offspring

Zizhao Huang, Xiao Xiao, Xuan Zhang · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology · 2025

Bioprospection of Piliostigma thonningii ethanol extract for anti-fibroid activity via molecular docking and in vivo hormonal evaluation in female wistar rats

Chinenye Florence Ogah, Alexander Olokun, Daniel Ejiofor · The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology · 2026

Are we indeed what we eat? Street food consumption in the Market Circle area of Takoradi, Ghana

Stephen Edem Hiamey, Francis Eric Amuquandoh, Grace Aba Boison · Nutrition and Health · 2013

Isolation, characterization, HPLC quantification, in-vitro and in-silico evaluations of coumarins and coumarolignans from Blighia unijugata stem with their chemotaxonomic significance

Clement Odunayo Ajiboye, Dorcas Olufunke Moronkola, Arfan Khalid · Biochemical Systematics and Ecology · 2025

Showing 5 of 13 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

54

Page views

0

PDF downloads

17

Outbound clicks

13

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.