title: Effectiveness of oral N -acetylcysteine in a rat experimental model of asthma.
abstract: Oxidative stress appears to be relevant to asthma pathogenesis. Therefore, the effectiveness of the antioxidant N -acetylcysteine was examined on antigen-induced pulmonary responses in sensitized Brown-Norway rats. N -acetylcysteine (oral, 1 mmol kg(-1)per day for 7 days before challenge) did not reduce the immediate bronchospasm that followed aerosol antigen exposure but prevented airway hyperreactivity to 5-hydroxytryptamine at 24 h after antigen challenge, and reduced the eosinophils (from 0.178 +/- 0.038 in the absence to 0.064 +/- 0.020 x10(6)cells ml(-1)in the presence of N -acetylcysteine;P< 0.05), and Evans blue dye extravasation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Taurine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from antigen-challenged rats were higher than control values but treatment with N -acetylcysteine failed to further increase these augmented levels. In conclusion, oral N -acetylcysteine showed beneficial effects in an in vivo model of experimental asthma, which confirm and extend the previous positive findings obtained in other models of lung injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Av. Blasco Ibanez 15, E-46010 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blesa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cortijo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinez-Losa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mata
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seda
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santangelo
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Morcillo
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D016084:Bronchoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology; D005070:Evans Blue; D005119:Extravasation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D005070:Evans Blue; D000111:Acetylcysteine