title: Protective effects of melatonin and N-acetylcysteine on hepatic injury in a rat cardiopulmonary bypass model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An increasing number of patients were undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and more attention had been paid to hepatic injury after CPB. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that melatonin and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) could attenuate hepatic injury induced by CPB in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham, control (CPB + placebo), NAC (CPB + 250 mg/kg N-acetylcysteine), and melatonin (CPB + 20 mg/kg melatonin). Blood samples were collected at the beginning, at the end of CPB, and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 24 h postoperation. Liver samples were harvested at 24 h after the operation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the control group, the levels of serum liver enzymes and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, activities of inducible nitric oxide synthase, malondialdehyde, and myeloperoxidase in liver tissue were significantly increased. In addition, swollen hepatocytes, vacuolization, and congestion in sinusoids were observed. These changes were markedly reversed in both NAC and melatonin groups. Furthermore, the glutathione content and liver antioxidative enzymes activities were significantly decreased in the control group compared with the sham group. However, the levels of these antioxidants were markedly elevated after NAC or melatonin treatment compared with placebo treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings showed that NAC and melatonin had acceptably beneficial effects against the CPB-induced hepatic injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Clinical Medicine School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hairong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Jiaquan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Changtian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Guohua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Demin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jing
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D009195:Peroxidase; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D005978:Glutathione; D008550:Melatonin; D000111:Acetylcysteine