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

Introduction: Acrylamide (AA), a water-soluble compound with high chemicalactivity that can be found in widely consumed food products. Aim: To evaluate theprotective effect of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω3-PUFAs) against AA inducedtoxicity on the submandibular salivary glands (SMGs) of Albino rats. Materials andmethods: Thirty male albino rats weighing 150 – 200 gm were equally and randomlydivided into control group, which received normal saline vehicle daily via oral gavagefor 30 days, AA group received 15 mg/kg body weight (bw) of AA dissolved in 0.2 mlsaline solution daily via oral gavage for 30 days. ω3-PUFAs group received 15 mg/kgbw of AA combined with 0.4 g/kg of ω3-PUFAs daily via oral gavage for 30 days. Therats were euthanized, and SMGs were dissected for histological evaluation, includinghematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and immunohistochemistry for tumor necrosisfactor (TNF-α), as well as analysis for heme-oxygenase-1 gene (HO-1) expressionusing real-time Polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: The SMG of AAgroup showed signs of toxicity and degeneration in the form of ill-defined outlines withdifferent-sized cytoplasmic vacuolations, pyknotic and crescent-shaped nuclei that werestatistically significant, with an increase in TNF-α immunoexpression and HO-1 geneexpression. ω3-PUFAs administration mitigated the toxic effect following AA exposureand down-regulated the TNF-α and HO-1 gene expression. Conclusion: The studyrevealed a significant cytotoxic effect of AA on SMGs of albino rats, presumably bygeneration of oxidative stresses and mitochondrial dysfunction. ω3-PUFAs effectivelyalleviated these toxic effects, indicating its antioxidant potential.