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Acrylamide Alters Cytoskeletal Protein Level in Rat Sciatic Nerves

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Abstract

Occupational exposure and experimental intoxication with acrylamide (ACR) produce neuropathy characterized by nerve degeneration. To investigate the mechanism of ACR-induced neuropathy, male adult Wistar rats were given ACR (20, 40 mg/kg i.p. 3 days/week) for 8 weeks. Sciatic nerves were Triton-extracted and centrifuged at a high speed (100,000 × g) to yield pellet and supernatant fractions. The contents of six cytoskeletal proteins (NF-L, NF-M, NF-H, α-tubulin, β-tubulin, and β-actin) in both fractions were determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting. Results showed that the three neurofilament (NF) subunits (NF-L, NF-M, NF-H) in both the pellet and the supernatant fraction decreased significantly (P < 0.01) in the high-dosing group, except for NF-M in the pellet. α-tubulin, β-tubulin, and β-actin increased significantly in the supernatant (P < 0.01), whereas both α-tubulin and β-tubulin decreased significantly in the pellet (P < 0.01). However, β-actin was not altered significantly in the sciatic nerves pellet. These findings suggest that ACR altered the cytoskeletal protein level in sciatic nerve, which may be one of the molecular mechanisms of ACR-induced peripheral neuropathy.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2002CB512907), and National Natural Science Fund of China (No. 30271138), and Young Excellence Fund of Shandong Province, China (No.02B5080).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of toxicology, Shandong University, 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, P.R. China

    Sufang Yu, Fuyong Son, Xiulan Zhao, Lihua Yu & Keqin Xie

  2. Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, Shandong University, 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, P.R. China

    Sufang Yu & Guozhen Li

  3. Out-patient Department, People’s Hospital of Rizhao, 126 Taian Road, Rizhao, 276826, Shandong, P.R. China

    Jinxia Yu

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  1. Sufang Yu
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Correspondence to Keqin Xie.

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Yu, S., Son, F., Yu, J. et al. Acrylamide Alters Cytoskeletal Protein Level in Rat Sciatic Nerves. Neurochem Res 31, 1197–1204 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-006-9176-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-006-9176-x

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