Neurobehavioral alterations in rats exposed to acrylonitrile in drinking water

Abstract

<jats:p> This study was carried out on rodents, to explore the neurobehavioral effects of acrylonitrile (AN) administered in drinking water. Thirty, male, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: two exposure groups (50 and 200 ppm AN), and one control group (tap water without AN). Three tests, including the open field test, rotarod test and spatial water maze, were applied to evaluate locomotor activities, motor co-ordination and learning and memory, respectively, prior to initiation of the treatment, and at Week 4, 8 and 12 postexposure. There were no consistent changes in the open field test, except for locomotion and grooming episodes. In the rotarod test, AN significantly decreased the latencies to fall in a dose and time-dependent manner. In the spatial water maze test, rats exposed to AN for 12 weeks had significantly more training times and longer escape latencies than control animals. These findings indicate that oral exposure to AN induces neurobehavioral alterations in rats. </jats:p>

Zinc, Copper, Iron, and Selenium Levels in Brain and Liver of Mice Exposed to Acrylonitrile

“…As whole-brain iron content drops 15% below normal, biological and behavioral alterations occur that may result from changes in optimal dopaminergic function. Therefore, our current findings (suggestive of 25% drop in brain iron levels in the 10 mg AN/kg group) provide biochemical evidence for potential disturbance in monoamine neurotransmitter system function and corroborate earlier findings by our group on AN-induced neurobehavioral alteration in rats [39][40][41].…”

On the Mechanism of Nitriles Toxicity

“…In fact, we preferred to cite the work of Gagnaire et al (1998) being more recent and relevant to the dose regimen of ACN used by us. We have also discussed the findings of Rongzhu et al (2007) on neurobehavioral alterations related to locomotor activities, motor coordination, learning, and memory in ACN-treated rats to portrait a wider picture on this topic. Nevertheless, we feel that the selection of references be solely left on authors' discretion.…”