Evaluation of mutagenicity of acrylamide using RBC Pig-a and PIGRET assays by single peroral dose in rats

•Usefulness of the PIGRET assay for a short-term genotoxicity test was evaluated.•Genotoxicity of acrylamide was examined by the PIGRET assay as a part of joint study.•No acrylamide genotoxicity was demonstrated by the PIGRET and RBC Pig-a assays.•Our findings using adult male rats are consistent with other reports.•Detailed analyses with different age, sex, and species are needed in future.

The Pig-a gene mutation assay, a powerful tool for evaluating in vivo genotoxicity, is based on flow cytometric enumeration of red blood cells (RBCs), which are deficient in glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored proteins caused by mutation(s) in the Pig-a gene. Various approaches for measuring cells with mutated Pig-a gene have been developed. The Pig-a assay targeting concentrated reticulocytes - the PIGRET assay - has the potential to detect genotoxicity in early stages of the study. To verify the potential and usefulness of the PIGRET assay for short-term testing, we conducted a joint research with the Mammalian Mutagenicity Study (MMS) Group of the Japanese Environmental Mutagen Society. As part of this study, we evaluated the genotoxicity of a single oral administration of acrylamide (AA) at 25, 50, 100, 137.5, and 175 mg/kg using the PIGRET and Pig-a assays targeting RBCs (RBC Pig-a assay) at 7, 14, and 28 days after dosing. Toxic effects induced by AA, such as hind limb weak-paralysis, reduction of body weight gain, and reticulocytosis, were observed in AA-treated groups. However, we detected no significant increases in Pig-a mutant frequencies using either the PIGRET or RBC Pig-a assay. Therefore, we concluded that the genotoxicity of AA could not be detected by these assays under our experimental conditions.