[Protective effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine on liver and lung injury in mice after partial hepatic ischemia/reperfusion].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the changes in Toll-like receptor 2/4(TLR2/4) gene expression in liver and lung in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury with or without preconditioning of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC).


METHODS
BALB/c mice were used in a model of partial hepatic I/R injury and randomly divided into sham-injury control group (SH group), hepatic I/R group and hepatic I/R with NAC pretreatment group (NAC group), each n=10. The level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in portal vein and plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured at 1 hour and 3 hours respectively after reperfusion, the expressions of TLR2/4 mRNA and protein in liver and lung were observed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting at the same time points.


RESULTS
Compared with I/R group, the expressions of TLR2/4 mRNA and protein in liver and lung in NAC group were decreased at same time points (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The level of TNF-alpha in portal vein and plasma ALT increased continually in I/R group at 1 hour and 3 hours after reperfusion compared with SH group, however, they were significantly lowered in the group pretreated by NAC (P<0.05 or P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
TLR2/4 is activated in liver and lung in the process of partial hepatic I/R injury. NAC can inhibit the activation of TLR2/4 and the induction of TNF-alpha resulted from I/R injury via modulating the state of redox process; thus it might mitigate liver and lung injury following partial hepatic I/R in mice.
Wu
He-shui
HS
Center of Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei, China.
Jin
Xin
X
Tian
Yuan
Y
Zhang
Jing-hui
JH
Wang
Chun-you
CY
D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011897:Random Allocation; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
D000975:Antioxidants; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000111:Acetylcysteine