Zinc oxide nanoparticles decrease acrylamide cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in HepG2 cells

Purpose Acrylamide (AA) is predominantly used as a synthetic substance within various industries. However, AA is also recognized as a carcinogen. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are becoming increasingly attractive as medical agents. However, to the knowledge, the effects of ZnO-NPs on preventing cytotoxicity with AA have not been reported. Therefore, this study aims to determine the protective effects of ZnO-NPs against the cytotoxicity caused by AA. Design/methodology/approach MTT assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, carbonyl protein, malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were measured and analyzed statistically. Findings The findings observed that the presence of 200 µM AA led to a substantial reduction in cell viability (p < 0.001). However, ZnO-NPs restored cell viability at 50 and 100 µM concentrations (p = 0.0121 and p = 0.0011, respectively). The levels of ROS were significantly reduced (p = 0.001 and p = < 0.001) to 518 ± 47.57 and 364 ± 47.79, respectively, compared to the AA group. The levels of GSH were significantly increased (p = 0.004 and p = 0.002) to 16.9 ± 1.3 and 17.6 ± 0.5, respectively, compared to the AA group. The levels of MDA were significantly decreased (p = 0.005, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001) when compared to the AA group, as were the levels of carbonyl protein (p = 0.009 and p < 0.002) in comparison to the AA group. Originality/value In summary, the outcomes of this research indicate that ZnO-NPs played a role in inhibiting AA-induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity.