title: [Chemoprevention of genotoxic damage in lung cells of rats exposed to cigarette smoke].
abstract: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) according to a complex protocol which lasted 40 days. Some of the groups were pre-treated with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) by gavage (1 g/kg b.w.) 5 h before each exposure. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in each animal at the end of each exposure period in order to recover pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM). Cells were identified and counted under the microscope, and the number of micronucleated (MN) and binucleated (BN) PAM was registered. The results showed an increase in the number of MN PAM, which was already evident after 8 days of CS exposure; this increase remained constant after 28 and 40 days of exposure. A significant decrease in the number of MN PAM was observed in the animals pre-treated with NAC. BN PAM were significantly increased after 28 and 40 days of exposure; again, a slight yet not significant decrease was detected in NAC-pre-treated animals. On the whole, this study demonstrates that CS is clearly clastogenic to alveolar macrophages and that NAC can efficiently prevent this cytogenetic damage.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Igiene e Medicina Preventiva, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Genova.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Agostini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scatolini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maggiani
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balansky
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D000111:Acetylcysteine
vernacular_title: Chemioprevenzione del danno genotossico in cellule polmonari di ratti esposti a fumo di sigaretta.