title: The effects of erdosteine and N-acetylcysteine on apoptotic and antiapoptotic markers in pulmonary epithelial cells in sepsis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the frequency of apoptosis in rat pulmonary epithelial cells after the injection of an intraperitoneal endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the effects of LPS on apoptotic (bax, caspase-3) and antiapoptotic (bcl-2) markers during lung damage, and the protective effects of two known antioxidant agents, erdosteine and N-acetylcysteine (NAC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were divided into the following six groups, which included nine rats each: two control groups, two LPS-treated groups, one erdosteine-treated group (150 mg/kg), and one NAC-treated group (150 mg/kg). LPS was injected intraperitoneally at a dosage of 20 mg/kg. Following LPS injection, the antioxidants were orally administered. The rats were sacrificed at 24 h after LPS administration. The levels of apoptosis in bronchiolar and alveolar cells were determined using the TUNEL-staining method. Immunohistochemical staining of cytoplasmic bax, caspase-3, and bcl-2 in the epithelial cells was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Erdosteine and NAC significantly reduced the rate of LPS-induced pulmonary epithelial cell apoptosis. The effect of NAC on regulating apoptosis was weaker than that of erdosteine. Erdosteine and NAC significantly reduced the local induction of bax and caspase 3 and significantly increased the reduced local production of bcl-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that erdosteine and NΑC can effectively protect the lungs from the damaging effects of LPS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.
authors.forename: Rezan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Demiralay
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gürsan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Havva
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Erdem
keywords: Apoptosis; N-acetylcysteine; epithelial cells; erdosteine; pathogenesis; sepsis