Reactions of acrylamide with glutathione and serum albumin.

Rate constants of 0.0054 and 0.021 M(-1)s(-1) for the reactions of acrylamide with human serum albumin (HSA) and glutathione (GSH), respectively, were determined under physiological conditions by following the loss of their thiol groups in the presence of excess acrylamide. Based on these in vitro values, reactions with these thiols appear to account for most of acrylamide's elimination from the body. Combined with data from other studies, these results should be useful for assessing the health risk of dietary acrylamide.