Immunochemical studies of acrylamide-associated neuropathology

An immunohistochemical study on neurofilaments (NF) in the central and peripheral nervous systems of rats after repeated treatment with acrylamide was done by the avidin-biotin complex method using monoclonal anti-neurofilaments antibodies (68, 160 and 200 kD). Rats were given acrylamide (50 ml/kg) i.p. every day for 8 days. In the cerebrum, NF in perikarya of large nerve cells were weakly stained with all antibodies in both control and treated rats, with no differences between the 2 groups. In the cerebellum, NF of the Purkinje cells were slightly stained with all 3 antibodies. In the treated rats, a marked accumulation of NF in the distal part of the basket cell fibers was detected by 68 kD. In the molecular layer, some parallel fibers were also stained by 68 kD in the treated animals. In the spinal cord, all NF were stained, the staining being clearer in the lower part of the cord in the treated rats. In the peripheral nerve of the treated rats, many axons were segmentally swollen along the entire length of the nerve, especially, in the distal region. In muscle preparations of the treated rats, some neuro-muscular junctions stained with 68 kD were also visible.