Dietary monosodium glutamate increases visceral hypersensitivity in a mouse model of visceral pain.

Background: Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been identified as a trigger of abdominal pain in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the mechanism is unknown. This study examined whether MSG causes visceral hypersensitivity using a water-avoidance stress (WAS) mouse model of visceral pain.

Methods: Mice were divided into four groups receiving treatment for 6 days: WAS + MSG gavage, WAS + saline gavage, sham-WAS + MSG gavage, and sham-WAS + saline gavage.

The impact of dietary fermentable carbohydrates on a postinflammatory model of irritable bowel syndrome.

Background: A low fermentable carbohydrate (FODMAP) diet is used in quiescent inflammatory bowel disease when irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms occur. There is concern that the diet could exacerbate inflammation by modifying microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. We examined the effect of altering dietary FODMAP content on inflammation in preclinical inflammatory models.