Research Article Modulatory Effect of Probiotics on Proinflammatory Cytokine Levels in Acrylamide-Treated Rats Seyed Mohammad Seifati , 1,2 Erfan Zaker , 3 Farzaneh Fesahat , 2 Fateme Zare , 2 and Seyedhossein Hekmatimoghaddam 2,4 1 Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran 2 Reproductive Immunology Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran 3 Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran 4 Department of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, School of Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Correspondence should be addressed to Fateme Zare; fatemezare91@gmail.com and Seyedhossein Hekmatimoghaddam; f.fesahat1360@gmail.com Received 19 May 2021; Accepted 15 July 2021; Published 21 July 2021 Academic Editor: Zubeyir Huyut Copyright © 2021 Seyed Mohammad Seifati et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. e aims of this study are to investigate the effect of acrylamide on the level of proinflammatory cytokines in the blood of acrylamide-treated rats and to find the modulatory impact of probiotics on those cytokines. irty-two rats were divided into four groups: rats which received 20 mg acrylamide, acrylamide with 20 mg probiotics, acrylamide with 200 mg probiotics, and standard water and food (groups 1–4, respectively). e serum levels of cytokines were measured on days 0, 15, and 30. Group 1 showed an increased serum level of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α after 15 days, and they decreased in day 30. Serum IL-6 level was significantly decreased on days 15 and 30 in rats in group 2 compared to the controls. TNF-α and IL-1β levels were not statistically different after treated with probiotics. e exposure of rats to acrylamide led to increased systemic inflammation as evidenced by higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and probiotics can modulate this inflammation. 1. Introduction Acrylamide is a chemical monomer that is widely used as an additive in the textile, paper, and cosmetics industries. It is formed through the processing of high-carbohydrate-rich foods. e main route for the formation of acrylamide in heated foods is the Maillard reaction between the free amino group of the asparagine and a carbonyl source, such as sugars [1–4]. e carcinogenic effects of this substance are proven in previous studies [5, 6]. Acrylamide breaks down in the body and produces glycidamide. Glycidamide attacks DNA and causes mutations in genes [7, 8]. According to Pan et al., exposure to acrylamide causes oxidative stress marked by a significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) con- sumption. Acrylamide activates signaling pathways of nuclear transcription factor 2-related to E2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor-kB (NF-κB). e mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is also activated before activation of the Nrf2 and NF-κB pathways. e inflammatory response is based on the level of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) [9]. One study investigated oxidative stress, inflammation, and histopathological changes in hepatotoxicity due to concomitant use of acrylamide and ellagic acid (a natural phenolic constituent in some fruits and nuts posing anti- mutagenic, antiviral, anticancer, antitumor, and antioxidant properties) in Wistar rats. It was observed that adminis- tration of acrylamide increased levels of alanine transami- nase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), nitric oxide (NO), protein carbonyl (PC), MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Also, acrylamide Hindawi Biochemistry Research International Volume 2021, Article ID 2268770, 6 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/2268770