Altered retrograde axonal transport of nerve growth factor after single and repeated doses of acrylamide in the rat.

The retrograde axoplasmic transport of iodinated nerve growth factor (125I-NGF) was markedly altered by systemic acrylamide treatment. Single doses of acrylamide (25 to 100 mg/kg, ip) inhibited the retrograde transport of 125I-NGF in a dose-dependent manner within 12 hr after administration. A dose of acrylamide (15 mg/kg, ip) which did not alter retrograde transport when given as a single dose, markedly inhibited retrograde transport when given repeatedly. Alterations in retrograde transport appeared prior to detectable alterations in peripheral nerve function and correlated with cumulative dose of acrylamide. These data suggest that single doses of acrylamide produce a biochemical lesion which accumulates to produce neuropathy. Altered retrograde axoplasmic transport may reflect the primary biochemical event responsible for the induction of neuropathy by acrylamide.