Acrylamide induces immediate-early gene expression in rat brain

Abstract

Northern blot analysis was used to study the effects of acrylamide, a potent neurotoxin, on the induction of c- fos and c- jun mRNA in rat brain Male Sprague-Dawley rats (10–12 weeks old) treated with acrylamide as a single dose 100 mg/kg, i.p.) or via drinking water(0.03% w/v) for 4 weeks, were used to study acute and chronic effects on immediate-early gene expression, respectively. Acute administration of acrylamide caused a statistically significant increase in the expression of c- fos (approx. 37%) and c- jun (approx. 17%) mRNA in rat brain. By contrast, the level of c- fos mRNA in chronic acrylamide treatment was not altered significantly, but the expression of c- ju mRNA was increased almost 100% as compared to control. These data show that the neurotoxin acrylamide induces immediate-early gene expression in the brain. The effects appear to be related to the route of administration, dose and duration of acrylamide treatment.