Acrylamide toxicity in isolated rat hepatocytes

Acrylamide (ACR) is an important industrial chemical used primarily in the production of polymers and co-polymers. Acrylamide is mainly neurotoxic to experimental animals as well as;humans and has also been shown to be mutage nic and carcinogenic. The present study was designed to investigate the tox icity of ACR on isolated rat hepatocytes. The hepatocytes were isolated by collagenase perfusion method and were incubated with different concentratio ns of ACR (0.1, 1, 10 mM)for 2 hours. Cell viability by trypan blue exclusi on and leakage of the enzymes such as alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspart ate transaminase (AST) were determined. Reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathi one S-transferase (GST) activity were also measured. A significant decrease in the cell viability was observed after exposure to 10 mM ACR for 30 min, while 1 mM ACR caused a significant decrease in the viability after 60 min . ALT leakage was parallel to the cell viability. AST leakage was significa ntly increased at 30 min of incubation with 10 mM ACR, whereas 2 hours of i ncubation was required for the leakage of AST from rats hepatocytes with 1 mM ACR. 10 mM ACR decreased significantly GSH as early as 30 min, while GSH level was decreased at 60 min after exposure to 1 mM ACR. Also, the GST ac tivity increased with increasing the dose of ACR. Cytochrome P450 concentra tion was decreased after exposure to 10 mM ACR. The effect of ACR on cell v iability, ALT and AST leakage, GSH and GST activity was time and dose depen dent. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. Ail rights reserved.