RESUMEN

ABSTRACT Acrylamide (AA), is an important industrial compound, formed during food processing under high temperature. Due to its potential carcinogenic effect, it has been recognized as a human health concern. In this study, we investigated the role of oxidative stress in acrylamide's genotoxicity and protective role of L- carnitine (LCA) in human lymphocytes. The micronucleus test (MNT) was used to monitor AA genotoxicity after 20h exposure to concentrations of 0.25,50 and 100 mM. Furthermore we evaluated oxidative stress markers, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) content. In MNT, It has been found that AA at high concentrations (50 and 100 µM) significantly increased the micronuclei (MN) frequencies. On the one hand, AA exposure induced ROS formation, LPO and also GSH oxidation in treated lymphocytes. On the other hand, pretreatment with LCA (100 and 200µM) inhibited AA-induced oxidative stress which subsequently led to decreasing of the micronuclei (MN) frequencies in human lymphocytes. In overall, the clastugenic effect of acrylamide was confirmed. Also, it has been observed that LCA prevented AA genotoxicity via amelioration of oxidative stress in human lymphocytes. Therefore, oxidative stress suggested as an important factor involved in acrylamide-induced genotoxicity.