Forty male and female albino rats (ten per each), arranged into four groups including control and acrylamide-treated groups (25 mg/kg BW) were used in the present work. Acrylamide was intragastrically administered every other day for twenty-five days. At the end of experiment, animals were sacrificed and plasma and whole retina were separated and processed for sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). For histological structural variations, specimens of retina were fixed in 10% formal saline, embedded in paraffin wax, sectioned at 5µm thick, and stained with Harris haematoxylin and eosin. The results showed that the whole retina and retinal cell layer thickness increased in male more than females. However, acrylamide-treatment showed higher susceptibility of histopathological abnormalities in retinal neuronal cells especially nerve fiber layer, nuclear and photoreceptor layers in males more than females. Ultrastructurally, the manifested damage was represented in pigmented epithelium and widespread lesions in retinal photoreceptors of males. Proteomic analysis of retina showed variations of protein expression between normal and acrylamide-intoxicated animals.
Key words: Sex differences, Acrylamide, Retina, Light microscopy, Ultrastructure
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