Monosodium glutamate (MSG, E 621) is widely used in the food industry as a flavor and aroma enhancer. Results of experiments conducted at the Institute of Animal Physiology, Centre of Biosciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), show that MSG consumption may pose a risk to successful conception and impair early embryonic development and embryo quality.
The experiments were carried out on laboratory mice, where female mice were given MSG daily during the so-called periconceptional period. “The periconceptional period includes the time around conception, during which eggs mature in the ovaries, fertilization of mature eggs occurs, and early embryonic development takes place. Our results showed that early embryos isolated from mothers consuming MSG exhibited impaired growth and contained a higher proportion of dead cells compared to embryos from mothers not given MSG,” explains Štefan Čikoš of the Institute of Animal Physiology SAS.
Further experiments revealed that the adverse effects of MSG on early mouse embryos are mediated by specific cellular receptors (glutamate receptors), whose activation triggers cell death in certain embryonic cells.
“These results cannot be directly transferred to humans, as such research is not ethically feasible in people. However, in silico analysis of data from available databases containing information on genes active in human eggs and early embryos indicates that they produce similar glutamate-binding receptors as those identified in mouse eggs and early embryos. Moreover, glutamate receptors have also been detected in the eggs and embryos of other mammalian species,” adds Čikoš.
The results were published in leading international scientific journals:
Šefčíková Z, Špirková A, Kovaříková V, Rušinová L, Baran V, Pisko J, Babeľová J, Fabian D, Čikoš Š.The consumption of monosodium glutamate during the periconceptional period can impair preimplantation embryo development. Reproductive Toxicology, 2025 Oct;137:109014. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2025.109014. Epub 2025 Jul 25.
Špirková A, Kovaříková V, Šefčíková Z, Pisko J, Kšiňanová M, Koppel J, Fabian D, Čikoš Š. Glutamate can act as a signaling molecule in mouse preimplantation embryos. Biology of Reproduction, 2022 Oct 11;107(4):916-927. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioac126.
Prepared by: Monika Tináková
Photo: CBs SAS
Original text: https://www.sav.sk/?lang=en&doc=services-news&source_no=20&news_no=13062