title: The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum allows for the convenient determination of fitness and survival as a measure of toxic effects of the food contaminant acrylamide.
abstract: Acrylamide  is a toxic ingredient generated as a by-product of the Maillard reaction in starchy foods processed at temperatures above 120°C. Here we used the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum as a model organism to test the effects of acrylamide on fitness and survival. Beetles were fed on flour spiked with acrylamide between 0.5% and 10% at 32°C over 2 weeks. Fitness of the beetles was tested by measuring the running distance and survival was recorded after 2 weeks of feeding at increased temperatures at 42°C. Both parameters were dose-dependent reduced by acrylamide. Knockdown of gene homologues of ahr, the arylhydrocarbon receptor, and of nrf-2, the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, both reduced fitness and survival. Application of 0.5% acrylamide under knockdown of each factor further reduced fitness and survival, suggesting that ahr and nrf-2 are important for an adequate response to the toxicant. RNA-interference for ahr blocked completely the increase in nrf-2 mRNA levels, suggesting that the actions of ahr on acrylamide detoxification are mediated via Nrf-2.
authors.affiliation: a Molecular Nutrition Research, Interdisciplinary Research Center , Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen , Giessen , Germany.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grünwald
authors.forename: Ana-Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gurmai
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schuierer
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boll
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wenzel
mesh_terms: D020106:Acrylamide / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D005506:Food Contamination; D015416:Maillard Reaction; D023421:Models, Animal; D034622:RNA Interference; D016019:Survival Analysis; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014231:Tribolium
chemical_list: D020106:Acrylamide
keywords: Nrf-2; T. castaneum; acrylamide; aryl hydrocarbon receptor; fitness; survival