Effects of Omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid against Acrylamide-Induced Toxicity in Submandibular Salivary Glands of Albino Rats: A Histological and Molecular Study

Taghyan, Salma Awad; Mohamed, Elham Fathy; Taha, Rasha; Shamel, Mohamed

doi:10.21608/dsu.2025.370807.1296

Effects of Omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid against Acrylamide-Induced Toxicity in Submandibular Salivary Glands of Albino Rats: A Histological and Molecular Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt

² Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Suez Canal University

³ Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt

10.21608/dsu.2025.370807.1296

Abstract

Introduction: Acrylamide (AA), a water-soluble compound with high chemical
activity that can be found in widely consumed food products. Aim: To evaluate the
protective effect of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω3-PUFAs) against AA induced
toxicity on the submandibular salivary glands (SMGs) of Albino rats. Materials and
methods: Thirty male albino rats weighing 150 – 200 gm were equally and randomly
divided into control group, which received normal saline vehicle daily via oral gavage
for 30 days, AA group received 15 mg/kg body weight (bw) of AA dissolved in 0.2 ml
saline solution daily via oral gavage for 30 days. ω3-PUFAs group received 15 mg/kg
bw of AA combined with 0.4 g/kg of ω3-PUFAs daily via oral gavage for 30 days. The
rats were euthanized, and SMGs were dissected for histological evaluation, including
hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and immunohistochemistry for tumor necrosis
factor (TNF-α), as well as analysis for heme-oxygenase-1 gene (HO-1) expression
using real-time Polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: The SMG of AA
group showed signs of toxicity and degeneration in the form of ill-defined outlines with
different-sized cytoplasmic vacuolations, pyknotic and crescent-shaped nuclei that were
statistically significant, with an increase in TNF-α immunoexpression and HO-1 gene
expression. ω3-PUFAs administration mitigated the toxic effect following AA exposure
and down-regulated the TNF-α and HO-1 gene expression. Conclusion: The study
revealed a significant cytotoxic effect of AA on SMGs of albino rats, presumably by
generation of oxidative stresses and mitochondrial dysfunction. ω3-PUFAs effectively
alleviated these toxic effects, indicating its antioxidant potential.

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