Effect of Betaine on Blood Parameters Related to the Iron Status in Acrylamide-Treated Rats

It has been well documented that acrylamide (ACR) is a human carcinogen. One of the consequences of ACR exposure is central and peripheral nervous system damage, which may lead to hallucinations, drowsiness, and numbness in the hands, as well as legs. Betaine (BET) plays an active role in methylation reactions, including DNA methylation, the integrity of cell membranes, and memory development. It has been approved that BET protects the liver from oxidative stress-inducing substances, such as ethanol, and nonalcoholic fatty liver, brain, kidney, stomach, as well as ovaries, in rats. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate how BET influences iron-related blood parameters and biomarkers in acrylamide-treated rats. Twenty adult rats, weighing 180-200 g and aging 6-7 weeks, were randomly divided into four equal groups and given the following treatments every day for 30 days. The control group was identified as G1. Animals in the G2 group were intubated with BET [250 mg/kg body weight (B.W.)]. Animals in the G3 group were intubated with ACR (1 mg/kg B.W.), while animals in the G4 group were intubated with both BET and ACR at the same doses as animals in G2 and G3 groups. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from anesthetized rats using the cardiac puncture technique for measuring white blood cell count, as well as their differential count, red blood cells count, hemoglobin, and their related parameters, including mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, hematocrit, as well as red cell distribution width. Additionally, serum was taken to measure serum iron concentration, ferritin, total iron-binding capacity, and transferrin saturation percentage. The results showed significant changes in some hematological parameters and the iron status correlated with anemia in the G3 group, treated with ACR. Such changes, accompanied by histopathological changes in the spleen oral intubation of BET alone, as well as its combination with ACR, caused the alleviation of anemia through correcting previous parameters. In conclusion, the findings revealed that BET positively influences anemia in rats treated with ACR.