Effects of N-acetylcysteine on regeneration following partial hepatectomy in rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of N-acetylcysteine on regeneration following partial hepatectomy in rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).


METHODS
N-Acetylcysteine was given to seven rats with NAFLD (group 1); physiological saline was given to seven rats with NAFLD (group 2); and physiological saline was given to seven rats with a normal liver (group 3). We performed two-thirds hepatectomy in all rats and removed the remnant liver tissue 48 h later to measure the mitotic index (MI), proliferating cell nuclear antigen, glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels.


RESULTS
Mitotic index values were significantly higher in group 1 than in groups 2 and 3, and higher in group 3 than in group 2. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen values were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2, but no significant difference was found in comparison with group 3. Glutathione values in group 1 were significantly higher than in group 2 and MDA values in group 1 were lower than in group 2. There was no significant difference between groups 1 and 3 in GSH and MDA values, in both the two-thirds hepatectomy and 48-h tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
N-Acetylcysteine enhanced regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats with NAFLD. We believe that it exerted this effect through its influence on oxidative stress.
Uzun
Mehmet Ali
MA
Second Department of General Surgery, Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Koksal
Neset
N
Kadioglu
Huseyin
H
Gunerhan
Yusuf
Y
Aktas
Suat
S
Dursun
Nevra
N
Sehirli
Ahmet Ozer
AO
D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000601:surgery*; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008940:Mitotic Index; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D000975:Antioxidants; D000111:Acetylcysteine