Cutaneous Nerve Degeneration Induced by Acrylamide in Mice

Acrylamide is a neurontoxin producing distal axonopathy. Previous studies mainly focused on large-diameter motor and sensory nerves, and the inlfuences of acrylamide neurotoxicity on small-diameter sensory nervesin the skin remained elusive. We investigated skin innervation in mice intoxicated by acrylamide. Small-diameter sensory nerves in the skin degenerated after acrylamide intoxication. Epidermal nerve swelling was the earliest sign of acrylamide intoxication, with 29.5 +- 2.4% of swollen epidermal nerves in the initial stage (p < 0.001). There was a trendof progressive loss of epidermal nerves with a significantly reduced epidermal nerve density in the late stage (p < 0.003 ).In the mean time, degenerating dermal nerves exhibited a beaded apperance. These results suggest the scenario of small-diameter cutaneous nerve degeneration in acrylamide neurotoxicity : beginning with epidermal nerve terminal swelling in the initial stage and resultant epidermal nerve depletion in the late phase