Hepatic genomic assessment of dietary ingestion of 2-aminoanthracene in Sprague Dawley rats

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the effects of 2-aminoanthracene (2-AA), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), on the liver. PAH is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Specifically, the impact of 2-AA on different body tissues in animals has been reported. The liver is an organ central to the metabolism of PAHs, including 2-AA. Sprague Dawley rats ingested a well-defined dose of 2-AA in their diet (0, 50, and 100 mg/kg 2-AA) for 12 weeks. Hepatic global gene expression using Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2.0 microarray was performed. Overall, more than 17,000 genes were expressed. Approximately 70 genes were upregulated, while 65 were downregulated when control rats were compared with low-dose animals. Similarly, 103 genes were upregulated and 49 downregulated when the high-concentration 2-AA group was compared with the control group rats. This result suggests that the magnitude of gene expression fold change depends on the dose of 2-AA ingested. Several differentially expressed genes are involved in biological processes such as gene transcription, cell cycle, and immune system function, indicating that the ingestion of 2-AA could impact these processes. The over-expression of genes related to liver inflammation, nonalcoholic liver disease, hepatic glucose processing, and PAH metabolism were noted.

Keywords:

• Global gene expression
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)
• 2-aminoanthracene(2-AA)
• liver (hepatic)
• Sprague Dawley rat

Acknowledgments

We thank the CEMITURE program for its support and constructive feedback. We also want to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Craig Banks, Manager of the Georgia Southern University Animal Facility. We are also thankful to Emory Integrated Genomics Core (EIGC) for running global gene expression experiments. EIGC is subsidized by the Emory University School of Medicine and is one of the Emory Integrated Core Facilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Raw microarray data were generated at Emory Integrated Genomics Core (EIGC). Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [WEG] on request.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded in part through support from the Faculty Research Committee FY17 (2016-2017), Research Seed Funding Award Georgia Southern University. This work was partially supported by the NSF-REU NSF-CHE 1359229 (REU).