Influence of Acrylamide Administration on the Neurochemical Characteristics of Enteric Nervous System (ENS) Neurons in the Porcine Duodenum.

Katarzyna Palus,Jarosław Całka

doi:10.3390/ijms21010015

Abstract

The digestive tract, especially the small intestine, is one of the main routes of acrylamide absorption and is therefore highly exposed to the toxic effect of acrylamide contained in food. The aim of this experiment was to elucidate the effect of low (tolerable daily intake—TDI) and high (ten times higher than TDI) doses of acrylamide on the neurochemical phenotype of duodenal enteric nervous system (ENS) neurons using the pig as an animal model. The experiment was performed on 15 immature gilts of the Danish Landrace assigned to three experimental groups: control (C) group—pigs administered empty gelatine capsules, low dose (LD) group—pigs administered capsules with acrylamide at the TDI dose (0.5 μg/kg body weight (b.w.)/day), and the high dose (HD) group—pigs administered capsules with acrylamide at a ten times higher dose than the TDI (5 μg/kg b.w./day) with a morning feeding for 4 weeks. Administration of acrylamide, even in a low (TDI) dose, led to an increase in the percentage of enteric neurons immunoreactive to substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), galanin (GAL), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VACHT) in the porcine duodenum. The severity of the changes clearly depended on the dose of acrylamide and the examined plexus. The obtained results suggest the participation of these neuroactive substances in acrylamide-inducted plasticity and the protection of ENS neurons, which may be an important line of defence from the harmful action of acrylamide.

Highlights

Acrylamide (ACM) is an organic chemical compound used in the manufacture of plastics, adhesives, masonry mortars, and cosmetics
The administration of acrylamide even in low (TDI) dose led to changes in the percentage of enteric neurons immunoreactive to neuroactive substances studied in the porcine duodenum
The results of the present study have shown that substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), GAL, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VACHT) were detected in all kinds of enteric nervous system (ENS) plexuses in the porcine duodenum

Summary

Introduction

Acrylamide (ACM) is an organic chemical compound used in the manufacture of plastics, adhesives, masonry mortars, and cosmetics. Since the presence of ACM in food products has been confirmed, numerous toxicological studies have been conducted to investigate its effect on living organisms [2,3]. The toxic effects of acrylamide on the nervous tissue (damage of axons in the peripheral and central nervous system, inhibition of neurotransmitter release, and disturbed nerve conduction) have been demonstrated in previous studies using rodent models [3,6]. In acute and subacute acrylamide intoxication, the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy have been observed. These are axonopathies, which initially include sensory and motor fibers. Despite numerous studies, there is a lack of data describing the impact of acrylamide on enteric nervous system (ENS) structures, especially in large animals

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Discussion

Conclusion