Juvenile rats do not exhibit elevated sensitivity to acrylamide toxicity after oral administration for 12 weeks

Acrylamide (AA), a neurotoxic, testicular toxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic chemical, has been reported to be formed in processed food, and sensitivity to AA intoxication in childhood is a concern. In the present study, to clarify the general toxicological profile of AA in juvenile rats, subchronic toxicity was evaluated in F344 rats administered AA in the drinking water at 0 (control), 10, 20 and 40 ppm, presented to the dams (three per group) immediately after the birth of their litters, through lactation (3 weeks), and directly to the offspring in their drinking water after weaning for a further 9 weeks (12 weeks total). Treatment with AA caused a decrease in body weights in 20 and 40 ppm F(1) females, compared with the controls. Average AA intake throughout the treatment period for the 10, 20 and 40 ppm groups after weaning was equivalent to 1.0, 2.1 and 4.4 mg kg(-1) body weight per day, respectively, in males and 1.2, 2.5 and 4.9 mg kg(-1) body weight per day, respectively, in females. No toxicologically significant organ weight changes were observed. AA-induced histopathological changes were limited to focal degeneration and necrosis of the seminiferous epithelium in the testes and desquamated epithelium in the ducts of epididymides, noted only in 40 ppm males. Taken together with previous reports, juvenile rats are not necessarily more susceptible to AA-induced toxicity as compared with young adults.