Natural plant compound rutin protects brain coordination related neurons from acrylamide caused damage

Acrylamide forms when high‑heat cooking processes starchy foods such as potatoes and bread. Human exposure also occurs via industrial workplaces and tobacco. Notably, this chemical can damage the cerebellum, the brain region controlling balance and movement coordination, leading to unsteady gait, limb weakness and poor balance in exposed people.

In a study published in the Journal of Holistic Integrative Pharmacy, researchers from Guangdong Pharmaceutical University tested whether rutin — a widely‑existing natural flavonoid found in many plants — could defend cerebellar neurons against acrylamide harm using rat experiments.

Thirty‑six male rats were divided into four groups: control, acrylamide‑intoxicated model, rutin treatment, and rutin plus PI3K‑pathway‑inhibitor LY294002 group. Over three weeks, the team tracked animal movement behaviour, examined brain tissue structure and measured key protein and oxidative‑stress markers.

“Acrylamide poisons special Purkinje neurons inside the cerebellar cortex,” says senior and co-corresponding author Prof.  Jing Liu from Guangdong Pharmaceutical University. “These vital cells keep our balance and coordinated movement working normally.”

In particular, the team's behavioural tests show rutin greatly improved walking, balance‑beam and rotating‑rod performance in acrylamide‑damaged rats. Rutin also preserved Purkinje neuron structure, boosted antioxidant capacity and turned on the protective PI3K/AKT molecular pathway.”

Yet when LY294002 was added to block PI3K/AKT activity, nearly all of rutin's neuroprotective benefits disappeared. “This tells us rutin's brain‑shielding effect largely depends on activating PI3K/AKT signalling and easing oxidative stress,” explains co‑corresponding author Dr. Yuxin Ma. “Our animal findings provide new mechanistic evidence for rutin as a candidate protective agent against acrylamide‑related nervous‑system harm, though further research is needed before clinical translation.”

Contact the author: 

Jing Liu, Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China; liulq1227@163.com.

Funder:

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Department of Guangdong Province under Grant No. 2016A020225007.

Conflict of interest:

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that might have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

See the article:

Wang Y, Wang Z, Liu S, Dong S, Yang J, Li L, Ma Y, Liu J. Protective effect of rutin on cerebellar cortical neurons in acrylamide‑intoxicated rats and its underlying mechanism. Journal of Holistic Integrative Pharmacy. 2026;7:516‑525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhip.2026.09.003