title: N-acetylcysteine may prevent severe intestinal damage in necrotizing enterocolitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventive effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in an experimental rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: NEC, NEC + NAC, and control. Necrotizing enterocolitis was induced by enteral formula feeding, exposure to hypoxia-hyperoxia, and cold stress. Pups in the NEC + NAC group were administered NAC at a dose of 150 mg/kg daily by intraperitoneal route from the first day until the last day of the study. All pups were killed on the fifth day. Proximal colon and ileum were excised for histopathologic, immunohistochemical (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling and caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9), and biochemical evaluation, including xanthine oxidase, total antioxidant status, total oxidant status, malondialdehyde, and myeloperoxidase activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pups in the NEC + NAC group had better clinical sickness scores compared with those in the NEC group (P < .05). In histopathologic and apoptosis evaluations (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling and immunohistochemical evaluation for caspase-3 and caspase-9), the severity of bowel damage was significantly less in the NEC + NAC group compared with the NEC group (P < .01). Tissue malondialdehyde, myeloperoxidase, xanthine oxidase levels, and total oxidant status were significantly decreased in the NEC + NAC group, whereas total antioxidant status (TAS) was significantly increased in the NEC + NAC group (P < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N-acetylcysteine therapy significantly reduced the severity of intestinal damage in NEC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Fatih University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. ctayman22@gmail.com
authors.forename: Cuneyt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tayman
authors.forename: Alparslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tonbul
authors.forename: Aydın
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kosus
authors.forename: Ibrahim Murat
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Hirfanoglu
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uysal
authors.forename: Hacer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haltas
authors.forename: M Mansur
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tatli
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Andiran
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007082:Ileum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D016877:Oxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D016877:Oxidants; D020169:Caspases; D000111:Acetylcysteine