Effect of oral exposure to acrylamide on biochemical and hematologic parameters in Wistar rats

Abstract

The toxic effects of ACR monomer include carcinogenesis, cellular genotoxic, and neurotoxicity. In this study, we examined the effect of acrylamide on biochemical and hematologic parameters in Wistar rats and explored the renal and hepatic function of these animals through a complementary anatomopathologic study. For it, thirty female Wistar rats aged 4 weeks and weighing 100 ± 10 g were housed six animals per cage and divided as follows: two groups were exposed for 2 months to drinking water containing 5 mg (Group 2) or 10 mg acrylamide (Group 3); one group of 12 rats received the median lethal dose of acrylamide by gavage (Group 4); and the control group (Group 1) received pure water. The results clearly showed that acrylamide affects various biochemical parameters, such as creatinine, urea, and serum globulin levels and the lipid balance, which are directly related to renal and hepatic dysfunction and disruption of the hematologic system. In addition, the data revealed changes in the complete blood count (CBC); significant increases in the number of leukocytes (9.95 ± 1.44 and 10.44 ± 1.21) and lymphocytes (6.11 ± 0.48 and 6.33 ± 0.76) in Groups 3 and 4, respectively; and decreases in total protein (88.95 ± 6.36), albumin (37.65 ± 1.65) and α-1 globulin levels (24.84 ± 2.10) in Group 3. The anatomopathologic study confirmed liver damage in the animals administered an acrylamide containing diet compared with those in the control group. The present study confirmed the effects of acrylamide on different hematologic, biochemical and immunologic parameters, with a specific focus on the liver and kidney, and on the induction of neurotoxic disorders. The results showed that oral exposure to acrylamide via drinking water or gavage induces kidney damage, hepatocellular insufficiency and chronic liver disease, resulting in primary immunodeficiency and activation of the immune system following the possible expression of certain immunoreaction genes.

Alterations of blood chemistry, hepatic and renal function, and blood cytometry in acrylamide-treated rats

“…We observed elevated levels of AST, ALT, and ALP. The evidence of hepatic damage and levels of serum enzymes (e.g., AST, ALT, and ALP) were reported by other authors [ [20] , [21] , [22] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] ].…”

“…After this glomerular filtration, between 40% and 60% is reabsorbed at the tubular level, constituting a marker of renal function [ [17] , [18] , [19] ]. In the present study, blood urea was elevated in acrylamide-treated rats (50 mg/kg), suggesting kidney damage [ [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] ]. Another metabolite that was analyzed in the present study was creatinine.…”

“…Its elimination is exclusively renal, so there is a correlation between creatinine levels and renal function. Most creatinine that is eliminated by the kidneys is freely filtered in renal glomeruli, and a small fraction is filtered by the tubular component, which is a good indicator of renal-glomerular function [ 17 , [21] , [22] , [23] ]. Similar to urea, creatinine and BUN significantly increased in rats that received acrylamide (25 and 50 mg/kg), indicating imminent kidney damage.…”

“…However, if the kidney is not functioning properly, then sufficient urea cannot be removed from plasma, leading to higher BUN levels that fluctuate under several physiological conditions, such as high protein intake, intestinal bleeding, infection, fever, dehydration, medications, burns, and poisoning. BUN should be considered together with serum creatinine to demonstrate its origin of renal type [ [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ].…”

“…Acrylamide at doses of 10, 30, and 60 mg/kg produced an acute time-dependent toxic response in hepatic tissue [ 36 ]. Similarly, the increase in direct bilirubin, which is highly specific to liver disease [ 37 ], and the decrease in albumin, which is the most abundant plasma protein that is produced by hepatocytes [ [20] , [21] , [22] , 33 , 38 ], also reflected acrylamide-induced damage. In the present study, the tests of hepatic function showed that transferase and alkaline phosphatase values were elevated in the acrylamide-treated groups (25 and 50 mg/kg), thus indicating hepatic damage as reported by Benitez [ 31 ].…”