The effect of acrylamide on hepatocellular DNA repair.

Acrylamide has recently been reported to induce tumors in laboratory animals. The effect of acrylamide on unscheduled DNA synthesis using the hepatocyte primary culture (HPC)/DNA repair test was examined. Isolated hepatocytes were exposed to acrylamide and [3H]thymidine ( [3H]TdR) for 18 hr. Incorporation of [3H]TdR into DNA was determined by autoradiography. No DNA repair was observed at acrylamide concentrations up to 10(-2) M. These findings were confirmed using density gradients. Acrylamide concentrations exceeding 10(-2) M were cytotoxic to hepatocytes. Because both autoradiography and density gradients measure DNA repair as an endpoint, the ability of acrylamide to inhibit these repair processes was also determined. Acrylamide had no effect on the repair of UV-damaged DNA. These results show that acrylamide is not genotoxic in isolated hepatocytes.