Effects of subchronic acrylamide treatment on the endocrine pancreas of juvenile male Wistar rats.

Acrylamide (AA) is a well-known industrial monomer with carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic and endocrine disruptive effects on living organisms. AA has been the subject of renewed interest owing to its presence in various food products. We investigated the potential adverse effects of oral AA treatment on the endocrine pancreas of juvenile rats using histochemical, immunohistochemical, stereological and biochemical methods. Thirty juvenile male Wistar rats were divided into one control and two AA treatment groups: one treated with 25 mg/kg AA and the other treated with 50 mg/kg AA for 21 days. We found a significant decrease in β-cell mass. The significant decrease in β-cell optical density and unchanged blood glucose levels indicate that normoglycemia in AA treated rats may result from intensive exocytosis of insulin-containing secretory granules. By contrast with β-cells, we observed increased α-cell mass. The slight increase in α-cell cytoplasmic volume suggests retention of glucagon in α-cells, which is consistent with the significant increase in α-cell optical density for AA treated animals. The number of islets of Langerhans did not change significantly in AA treated groups. Our findings suggest that AA treatment causes decreased β-cell mass and moderate α-cell mass increase in the islets of Langerhans of juvenile male Wistar rats.