On the Application of Cultured Neuronal Cell Lines in Neurotoxicological Studies: Cytotoxicity of Acrylamide

Abstract

Summary Acrylamide, a well known neurotoxic compound, was used in a first evaluation of cultured mouse neuroblastoma cells as an alternative to animal models for neurotoxicological studies. Hence, the effects of acrylamide on the growth, size, morphology and leucine incorporation of three neuroblastoma (41A3, N18 and N1E115), one neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid (NG108CC15), two glioma (138MG and C6) and two fibroblast (RLF and RMC) cell lines were studied. It was found that the concentration of acrylamide needed to inhibit the growth by 50% in 24 hr was similar in all cell lines, i.e. around 2 x 10-4g/ml culture medium. In the two cell lines, N1E115 and NG108CC15, acrylamide at this concentration caused neurite retraction and at higher concentrations (5 x 10-4g/ml) a decrease in cell viability. In a concentration range of 5 x 10-5 - 5 x 10-4g/ml acrylamide did not affect cell size, or at 2 x 10-4g/ml incorporation of leucine into trichloroacetic acid precipitable material. It is suggested that acrylamide interferes with a biochemical process common to all the tested cells, but of greater importance in differentiated nerve cells than in others. Whether this process is consistent with the in vivo target for the neurotoxic action of acrylamide remains to be unravelled.