Rat Hepatoma BRL Cells Proliferation by Acrylamide and Alcohol Combination

Acrylamide, exists in carbohydrate-rich food heated at high temperatures, is a probable carcinogen to humans. Excessive alcohol intake can also lead to a variety of pathological changes in the body. Acrylamide in the foods and alcohol in the drinks are unavoidable. And studies have demonstrated that combination of the two substances which are taken into the body via diet may cause adverse effects in the cells, even induce impairments on testicular spermatogenesis in male offsprings. Both acrylamide and alcohol are mainly metabolized in the liver, where cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) acts as the common metabolic enzyme of the two xenobiotics. This study aimed to explore the effects of acrylamide and alcohol combination on rat hepatoma BRL cells proliferation and the probable mechanisms. MTT, western blotting, EdU fluorescence staining, flow cytometry and PCR were used. Results showed that combination of acrylamide and alcohol at low doses promoted BRL cells proliferation through CYP2E1/Akt/ NF-κB/cyclinB1/cyclinD1 activation and ROS production. The combined effects of acrylamide and alcohol largely depended on ROS level. Furthermore, acrylamide and alcohol could synergistically induce miR-21, which was related to the progress of liver regeneration. These data showed that combination of acrylamide and alcohol at low doses promoted BRL cells proliferation through inducing ROS production, which indicated that intake of fried starch food with small dose of alcohol might have positive effects on liver regeneration.