Effects of acrylonitrile on apoptosis of rat cerebral nerve cells

The brain, especially the hippocampus, is sensitive to damage caused by anoxic chemicals. In this study, we established a rat model of acrylonitrile poisoning with administration by gavage, aiming to determine the influence of acrylonitrile on rat cerebral nerve cells. Transmission electron microscopy observation and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) staining were used to explore preliminarily the apoptotic changes of cerebral nerve cells. The pathogenesis revealed by transmission electron microscopy indicated that apoptosis in the control group was more serious than that of the exposure groups. The results of TUNEL staining showed the apoptotic rate was significantly higher in the control group than that of other exposure groups. All the results indicated that acrylonitrile can inhibit the apoptosis of rat cerebral nerve cells, which is closely related to its animal carcinogenicity.