الفهرس 
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Abstract
Acrylamide (ACR) is a high production volume industrial chemical used in the manufacture of water-soluble polymers and synthetic organic chemicals. Significantly higher levels of ACR found in a variety of cooked foods and the highest concentrations of ACR have been identified in fried potatoes and grain-based foods that are cooked at very high temperatures.
ACR thought to has reproductive and developmental toxicity. The present work aimed to study the toxic effects of exposure to acrylamide on pregnancy (the mothers’ weight gain, the period of gestation and the completion of pregnancy), fetal development (body weights, anthropometric measures and growth anomalies) and brains (cerebrum and cerebellum) for both mother and fetus.
This work was carried out on 40 sexually mature albino female rats. The vaginal smear examination was carried out to provide a precise determination of estrous and the onset of gestation. The pregnant rats were divided into two groups (20 rats each). group I was control group while group II was treated with ACR with a daily dose of 5 mg/kg.
Observations during gestation showed that There was very highly significant statistical decrease in mean values of mothers’ weight (g) gain from the first to the sixth day, from sixth to 15th day and from 15th to 18th day of gestation in treated group in comparison with the control group. There was mild significant statistical decrease in the mean value of gestational period in treated group in comparison with the control group. There was decrease in the total number of females who completed their pregnancy in treated group in comparison with the control group but there was insignificant statistical difference in their percentage in treated group in comparison with the control group.
Regarding parameters for outcome of pregnancy, there was insignificant statistical difference in mean values of number of implants/female, number of delivered fetuses/female, resorption sites percentage/ female, live fetuses’ percentage/female and dead fetuses’ percentage /female in treated group in comparison with the control group while there was mild significant statistical increase in post-implantation loss percentage/ female in treated group in comparison with the control group. There was very highly significant statistical increase in the percentage of female fetuses from total number of fetuses in treated group in comparison with the control group. There was decrease in total numbers of implants, delivered fetuses and live fetuses in treated group compared with the control group but there was insignificant statistical difference in the total live fetuses’ percentage of treated group in comparison with the control group. There was increase in the total post-implantation loss percentage in treated group in comparison with the control group.
In the current results, weights and anthropometric measures for fetuses showed that there was very highly significant statistical decrease in mean values of FW, HL, BPD, femur length, tibia-fibular length, humeral length and radio-ulnar length in treated group in comparison with the control group while there was moderate significant statistical decrease in the mean value of CRL in treated group in comparison with the control group. There was insignificant statistical difference in mean values of PI and CRL/HL ratio in treated group in comparison with the control group.
As regard congenital malformation, there was mild significant statistical increase in the percentage of short tailed fetuses while there was very highly significant statistical increase in the percentage of kyphotic fetuses in treated group in comparison with the control group.
There was moderate significant statistical increase in the mean value of maternal brain weight (g) of treated group in comparison with the control group and there was very highly significant statistical increase in fetal brain weight, maternal brain / body weight ratio and fetal brain/body weight ratio of treated group in comparison with the control group.
Histopathological examination showed that cerebral cortex of control rats (mothers) with normal architecture while with ACR treated (mothers) showed loss of normal architecture and organization of the 6 layers. Most of the cells were seen destructed with more vacuolations. Congested blood vessel was seen in the pia matter surrounding the cortex. Cerebellar cortex of control rats (mothers) showed the normal architecture of the cerebellar tissue while ACR group treated rat (mothers) showed destruction of purkinje cells, some of them appeared high acidophilic, there was marked halos around them, there was marked disturbance in the arrangement of the layers; granule cells appeared in the purkinje layer and some purkinje cells appeared in granular layer. Cerebral cortex of the control group (neonates) showed distinct cortical layers with dense population of cells (small pyramidal and stellate cells) in the outer granular layer but ACR group (neonates) showed distortion of the general architecture of the cortex, less accumulation of cells appeared in the outer granular layer, numerous areas of vacuolations appeared around cells, vascular congestion around the cortex was also noticed. Cerebellum of neonates of control rats showed normal appearance of cerebellum which appeared well arranged while ACR group revealed disruption in external granular layer, the purkinje layer showed necrotic cells. But no interruption in the arrangement appeared.
As regard biochemical assay, there was very highly significant statistical increase in the mean value of MDA (nmol/g) in treated group (maternal and fetal) in comparison with the control group while there was very highly significant statistical decrease in the mean value of both GSH (nmol /g) and GPx (unit /g) in treated group (maternal and fetal) in comparison with the control group.
As regard correlation between biochemical brain parameters and brain weighing parameters, there was no significant correlation between maternal brain MDA (nmol/g) values and maternal brain weight (g) values while there was significant positive correlation between it and maternal brain/body weight ratio values. There was no significant correlation between maternal brain GSH (nmol/g) values and maternal brain weight while there was significant negative correlation between it and maternal brain/body weight ratio values. There was negative correlation between maternal brain GPx (unit/g) values and maternal brain weight and brain/ body weight ratio values. There was positive correlation between fetal brain MDA (nmol/g) values and fetal brain weight (g) and brain/body weight ratio values. There was negative correlation between fetal brain GSH (nmol/g) values with fetal brain weight (g) and brain/body weight ratio values. There was negative correlation between fetal brain GPx (unit/g) values with fetal brain weight (g) and brain/body weight ratio values.
Conclusion:
ACR has reproductive and developmental toxicity with neurotoxic effect on maternal brain and fetal brain development which is most probably due to increased oxidative stress.
Recommendations
• It is recommended much more studies on mechanisms by which ACR can induce its toxicity and testing antioxidants as protective substances for its toxicity.
• More studies on sex suitability for the damage of acrylamide and neurobehavioral disorders are recommended.
• Toxic effects of ACR on humans have to be studied by screening for its blood level with correlation of positive finding in suitable of our community.
• Exposure to ACR during pregnancy has to be minimized as possible to protect fetuses from its hazardous effect especially with increasing rate of incidence of neurobehavioral disorders like autism.