title: The antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine protects cultured epithelial cells from menadione-induced cytopathology.
abstract: The effects of the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) were assessed after short term exposure of A431 epithelial cells. The drug was able to protect, at least partially, the cells from the oxidative stress induced by the quinone menadione. In particular, the oxidizing agent-induced cell rounding and detachment from the substrate were strongly impaired by pre-exposure to the compound. The mechanism of such an effect seems to be ascribable to a target effect of the drug on the adhesion properties of the cells. In fact, a modification of morphological features of NAC-exposed cells and of their ability to adhere to different coated substrates was found. These changes resulted in a significant improvement of the A431 tumor cell adhesion pattern which was associated with a noticeable rearrangement of some cytoskeletal components, mainly of the microfilament system. These data add new importance to the subcellular activity of NAC and seem to indicate that the redox status of the cells, i.e. the intracellular balance between proxidants and antioxidants, could also play a role in their adhesive properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrastructures, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Malorni
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rivabene
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Matarrese
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000963:Antimetabolites / Q000633:toxicity; D019328:Buthionine Sulfoximine; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D008717:Methionine Sulfoximine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000633:toxicity; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000963:Antimetabolites; D014812:Vitamin K; D008717:Methionine Sulfoximine; D019328:Buthionine Sulfoximine; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase; D000111:Acetylcysteine