WEAK GENOTOXICITY OF ACRYLAMIDE ON PREMEIOTIC AND SOMATIC-CELLS OF THE MOUSE

The effects of acrylamide (AA) were evaluated, under the EEC/STEP proj ect 'Detection of Germ Cell Mutagens', by carrying out several cytogen etic assays on mouse germ and somatic cells. The spermatid micronucleu s (MN) test was applied after treatment of meiotically dividing or pre meiotic S phase cells. Acute treatments (50 and 100 mg/kg i.p.) as wel l as subchronic exposure to AA (4 x 50 mg/kg, 4 i.p. injections at 24- h intervals) were performed. A weak increase of MN was induced only by treatment with AA of cells in S phase. Sister-chromatid exchange (SCE ) analysis in differentiating spermatogonia treated i.p. with 50 and 1 00 mg/kg confirmed the weak genotoxicity of AA in the premeiotic stage s of spermatogenesis. The application of the MN test in peripheral blo od reticulocytes of the same animals used for the spermatid MN assay i ndicated that the cytogenetic effects induced by AA in the somatic and the germ cell lines are comparable in magnitude. The results obtained in this study by applying the spermatid micronucleus assay are in ver y good agreement with those reported by two other laboratories with th e same technique.