OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of tacrolimus (FK506) on behavioral function and heat-shock proteins (HSP70) expression in nervous tissues of acrylamide (ACR)-induced rats.

METHODSTotally 40 health Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, low and high doses of FK506 groups. All four groups were treated five times per week for four weeks. Gait score was measured every week. And rats were sacrificed on day 28, the cerebrum, spinal cord and sciatic nerve were dissected, and homogenized in ice bath, then the levels of HSP70 and Bcl-2, Bax were analyzed by western bloting.

RESULTSCompared with the ACR model group, the gait score in low and high doses of FK506 groups decreased by 30.1% and 47.7% respectively in the 4th week. In the cerebrum and sciatic nerve pellet, the level of HSP70 in the FK506 groups increased by 11.6%, 33.3% and 56.3%, 58.5% (P < 0.01), but no significant changes existed in spinal cord. The level of Bcl-2 in the sciatic nerve pellet increased by 39.1% (P < 0.01) but no significant changes existed in the cerebrum and spinal cord from low dose of FK506 group. And the level of Bax in the spinal cord pellet markedly increased by 46.8% but not in cerebrum and sciatic nerve pellet; Whereas in the tissues mentioned above, the levels of Bcl-2 were enhanced remarkably by 16.3%, 14.8% and 56.0% (P < 0.01) in the high dose of FK506 group. And the level of Bax in the cerebrum and spinal cord pellet markedly increased by 16.4% and 40.2% but not in sciatic nerve. The values of Bcl-2/Bax in low and high doses of FK506 groups clearly increased by 15.9%, 33.3%, 36.9% and 30.1%, 49.1%, 60.1% (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe administration of FK506 has dramatically neuroprotective effects against the development of ACR neuropathy, which may be related to up-regulating the expression of HSP70 and Bcl-2 with down-regulating the expression of Bax.