title: Structural and ultrastructural evidence of neurotoxic effects of fried potato chips on rat postnatal development.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acrylamide (ACR), a proved rodent carcinogen and neurotoxic agent, is present in significant quantities in commonly consumed foods such as fried potato chips (FPC) and French fries, raising a health concern worldwide. We investigated and compared the neurotoxic effects of ACR and FPC on postnatal development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female rats were treated with ACR (30 mg/kg of body weight), fed a diet containing approximately 30% of FPC during pregnancy, or fed a standard diet (control) and their offspring were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Female rats treated with ACR or fed a diet containing FPC during pregnancy gave birth to litters with delayed growth and decreased body and brain weights. Light microscopic studies of the cerebellar cortex of treated animals revealed drastic decreases in Purkinje cells and internal granular layers. Different patterns of cell death were detected in Purkinje cells and neurons in the brains of pups born to treated mothers. Ultrastructural analysis of Purkinje cells revealed changes in the endoplasmic reticulum, loss of the normal arrangement of polyribosomes, swollen mitochondria with abnormally differentiated cristae, and an abnormal Golgi apparatus. The gastrocnemius muscle in the ACR and FPC groups showed extensive degeneration of myofibrils as evidenced by poorly differentiated A, H, and Z bands.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study reveals for the first time that rat fetal exposure to ACR, as a pure compound or from a maternal diet of FPC, causes cerebellar cortical defects and myodegeneration of the gastrocnemius muscle during the postnatal development of pups. These results warrant a systematic study of the health effects of the consumption of FPC and French fries in the general population.
authors: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors: Hassan I
authors: HI
authors: El-Sayyad
authors: Hekmat L
authors: HL
authors: El-Gammal
authors: Lotfy A
authors: LA
authors: Habak
authors: Heba M
authors: HM
authors: Abdel-Galil
authors: Augusta
authors: A
authors: Fernando
authors: Rajiv L
authors: RL
authors: Gaur
authors: Allal
authors: A
authors: Ouhtit
mesh_terms: D020106:Acrylamide / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D003296:Cooking; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D015388:Organelles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D035281:Plant Tubers; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D011198:Solanum tuberosum
chemical_list: D009498:Neurotoxins; D020106:Acrylamide