Background: Acrylamide (ACR) is a naturally occurring, widely used compound. Ingestion of large amounts of ACR underlies several health concerns and teratogenicity. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a strong reducing agent greatly used to clean free radicals. This study investigated the morphometric, histological, immunohistochemical and biochemical disturbances induced by acrylamide (10 mg/kg/day) via gavage in the intestine of rat mothers and their offsprings. As well as, the protective role of ascorbic acid (100 mg/kg/day) via gavage.
Materials and Methods: Forty adult pregnant female rats were divided into four groups; control, ascorbic acid, acrylamide and acrylamide+ascorbic acid. 10 randomly chosen offsprings of each group after weaning were also used. Histomorphometric analysis of intestinal wall and biochemical analysis of intestinal enzymes, oxidant antioxidant markers and some genes expression were performed.
Results: In both dams and offsprings, ACR resulted in mucosal hyperplasia with evident inflammatory infiltration in the villi. In addition, goblet cells and KI67 +ve cell numbers decreased in the dams however increased in offsprings. ACR decreased citrate synthase, glutathione and catalase levels in dams and increased β-glucuronidase and malonaldehyde levels in dams. In offsprings, level of alkaline phosphatase was reduced and β-glucuronidase was elevated. Glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase mRNA expression was increased significantly with ACR ingestion. Ascorbic acid supplementation conserved the control status in the majority of conditions.
Conclusion: Acrylamide consumption during pregnancy and lactation is risky because of the induction of intestinal mucosal hyperplasia in rat offsprings. Ascorbic acid supplementation could reduce the harmful effects induced by ACR.