Health hazards associated with dietary acrylamide exposure from the biscuit diet of growing female rat pups

Acrylamide (AA) is a harmful substance widely found in infant and child biscuits; however, the health hazards of AA, especially endogenous AA, in the biscuit matrix is poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the effects of endogenous (0.11 mg/(kg bw·day)) and exogenous (1.31, 5.23, and 10.13 mg/(kg bw·day)) AA exposure from biscuit diet on the hematology, hormone levels, immune function, and liver and kidney damage in growing female rat pups. For the hematological indices, a quadratic reduction was observed in percentage of neutrophils (Neu%‍) and percentage of eosinophils (Eos%) in the leukograms and in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and platelet in the erythrograms in all the AA-exposed groups. In terms of hormones, extremely remarkably elevations in estradiol (E₂) and growth hormone (GH) levels were associated with exogenous AA, and a significant increase in GH levels was noted in the endogenous AA group. Regarding immune function, endogenous and exogenous AA showed a dose-dependent immunotoxic effect on lysozyme (LYSO), nitric oxide (NO), immunoglobulin (Ig)G, and IgM. In particular, the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was significantly high in the exogenous medium dose (Exo-M) and exogenous high dose (Exo-H) groups, and the percentage of CD3⁺ T cells in the blood and CD8⁺ expression levels in the spleen were significantly elevated in the Exo-H group. For liver and kidney function, exogenous AA had a dose-dependent effect on alanine aminotransferases (ALT), aspartate transferases (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea nitrogen (UREA), and creatinine (CREA-S). In addition to the dose-dependent effect on the pathological changes in the liver and kidneys, the endogenous AA group presented with hepatocellular steatosis, kidney inflammatory infiltrates, and glomerular and tubular atrophy. Overall, our findings suggested the dose-dependent harmful effect of endogenous and exogenous AA. Special attention should be paid to the damage caused by exposure to endogenous AA. Stringent AA intake guidelines and measures are required to minimize AA levels in the food matrix.