title: N-acetyl-cysteine suppresses amniotic fluid and placenta inflammatory cytokine responses to lipopolysaccharide in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Maternal infections may induce placental, amniotic and, potentially, fetal inflammatory responses. As cytokine responses may be mediated by oxidative stress, we determined whether the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), can attenuate maternally induced amniotic and placental cytokine responses to maternal infection (modeled by lipopolysaccharide [LPS]).
  
  
  METHODS
  Gestation day 18 pregnant rats were (1) treated with LPS (100 microg/kg, body weight; intraperitoneally) alone; (2) pretreated with NAC (300 mg/kg body weight; intraperitoneally) 30 minutes before LPS; (3) posttreated with NAC 120 minutes after LPS; or (4) treated with NAC 30 minutes before and 120 minutes after LPS. Six hours after LPS administration, maternal serum and amniotic fluid interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 levels, and placental IL-6 messenger RNA levels were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LPS increased maternal serum IL-6 (50 +/- 25 to 3444 +/- 584 pg/mL) and IL-10 (40 +/- 20 to 958 +/- 339 pg/mL) and amniotic fluid IL-6 (59 +/- 25 to 891 +/- 128 pg/mL). Pretreatment and/or posttreatment with NAC attenuated IL-6 in the maternal serum and amniotic fluid and IL-10 in the amniotic fluid. LPS also induced placental IL-6 messenger RNA that was inhibited by treatment with NAC before and after LPS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NAC inhibition of inflammatory responses may protect the fetus from potential long-term sequelae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Torrance, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beloosesky
authors.forename: Dave A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Gayle
authors.forename: Fataneh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amidi
authors.forename: Sonia E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Nunez
authors.forename: Jooby
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D005260:Female; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016753:Interleukin-10; D000111:Acetylcysteine