EFFECT OF ACRYLAMIDE ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF MICROTUBULE-ASSOCIATED PROTEINS (MAP1 AND MAP2) IN SELECTED REGIONS OF RAT-BRAIN

The effect of acrylamide treatment on the immunocytochemical localization of microtubule-associated proteins (MAP1 and MAP2) was studied in different brain regions (cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus) of adult rats. Animals were treated with acrylamide (estimated mean dose: 15 mg/kg/d) orally for 2 wk when they showed slight hindlimb weakness. Immunoreactivity for MAP1 and MAP2 was detected in tissue sections with monoclonal antibodies according to the Sternberger's peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. Intense MAP1 immunoreactivity was observed in neuronal perikarya and dendrites, with faint staining in axons. By contrast, MAP2 immunostaining was selectively observed in dendrites and neuronal perikarya. Treatment of animals with acrylamide reduced immunoreactivity for both MAP1 and MAP2 in hippocampus and cerebellum, with relatively little change in cerebral cortex. Loss of MAPs immunoreactivity in affected brain areas likely proceeded from dendrite to perikaryon. The results of this study indicate that hippocampal compromise is part of the neurotoxic picture associated with rodent exposure to acrylamide.