title: Efficacy of N-acetylcysteine on neuroclinical, biochemical, and histopathological parameters in experimental spinal cord trauma: comparison with methylprednisolone.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant agent that has been shown to have beneficial effects when treating various diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of NAC on spinal cord injury in an experimental rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 48 adult male wistar albino rats were divided into six groups. Group C included the control rats, group L included the rats that underwent laminectomy, and group T included the rats in which spinal cord trauma was induced by the weight-drop method after laminectomy. Groups M (the methylprednisolone group), N (the NAC group), and MN (the methylprednisolone + NAC group) were the treatment groups. In the fourth group (group M), 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone (MP) was administered as a bolus intraperitoneally (IP), and a standard MP treatmentat a dose of 5.4 mg/kg was applied for 24 h. In the fifth group (group N), only 300 mg/kg NAC was administered as a bolus IP. In the sixth group (group MN), the standard MP treatment and a single 300 mg/kg dose of NAC were administered as a bolus IP. The motor functions of the rats were evaluated on the 1st, 7th, and 14th days using the inclined plane test defined by Rivlin and Tator and the motor scale defined by Gale et al. Spinal cord samples were obtained on the 14th day. The samples were evaluated using pathological and biochemical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the neuroclinical assessment, no differences were observed between groups T and M in terms of motor improvement. However, statistically significant differences were observed between group T and groups N and MN (p < 0.001, p = 0.01, respectively). Statistically significant differences were also seen between group M and groups N and MN on the 1st and 7th days (p < 0.017, p < 0.01, respectively). Additionally, when groups N and MN were compared with groups T and M,the pathological and biochemical analyses were found to be statistically different (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that NAC treatment and the combined NAC + MP treatment may be more useful for healing in rats with experimental spinal cord injury in terms of neuroclinical, pathological, and biochemical results than MP-only therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. acildrumut@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: U Y
authors.initials: UY
authors.lastname: Çavuş
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Bitlis State Hospital, Bitlis, Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Aytekin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taburcu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albayrak
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Ağrı State Hospital, Ağri, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yıldırım
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Adıyaman University Training and Research Hospital, Adıyaman, Turkey.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ağır
keywords: Methylprednisolone; N-acetylcysteine; Rat model; Spinal cord injury
references.citation: J Neurosci Res. 2004 May 15;76(4):519-27
references.pmid: 15114624
references.citation: Spinal Cord. 2005 Apr;43(4):199-203
references.pmid: 15534623
references.citation: Eur J Pharmacol. 2001 Oct 5;428(2):185-92
references.pmid: 11675035
references.citation: Brain Res. 2005 Feb 1;1033(1):13-9
references.pmid: 15680334
references.citation: Dev Neurosci. 2010;32(5-6):480-7
references.pmid: 21228558
references.citation: Neurochirurgie. 1991;37(5):291-302
references.pmid: 1758561
references.citation: Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Oct;132(1):15-29
references.pmid: 21605594
references.citation: Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2006 Oct;27(10):1317-25
references.pmid: 17007738
references.citation: Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2010 Jan;16(1):15-21
references.pmid: 20209390
references.citation: Neurochem Res. 2006 Apr;31(4):473-81
references.pmid: 16758355
references.citation: Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2001 Jul;20(1):65-70
references.pmid: 11423276
references.citation: Neurocrit Care. 2012 Sep;17 Suppl 1:S102-11
references.pmid: 22965323
references.citation: Urol Res. 2001 Jun;29(3):190-3
references.pmid: 11482445
references.citation: Neurotherapeutics. 2011 Apr;8(2):152-67
references.pmid: 21424941
references.citation: Neurosurgery. 2013 Aug;60 Suppl 1:82-91
references.pmid: 23839357
references.citation: Eur Spine J. 2008 Jun;17(6):864-72
references.pmid: 18351400
references.citation: Cardiovasc Surg. 2003 Oct;11(5):375-9
references.pmid: 12958548
references.citation: Anat Rec B New Anat. 2003 Mar;271(1):41-8
references.pmid: 12619085
references.citation: Exp Neurol. 1985 Apr;88(1):123-34
references.pmid: 3979506
references.citation: ILAR J. 2007;48(4):385-95
references.pmid: 17712224
references.citation: Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2006 Apr;31(4):366-72
references.pmid: 16359890
references.citation: Paraplegia. 1987 Jun;25(3):217-20
references.pmid: 3601430
references.citation: Intensive Care Med. 2006 Jan;32(1):149-55
references.pmid: 16249925
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1990 May 17;322(20):1405-11
references.pmid: 2278545
references.citation: Clin Neuropharmacol. 2001 Sep-Oct;24(5):265-79
references.pmid: 11586111
references.citation: Methods Enzymol. 1990;186:407-21
references.pmid: 2233308
references.citation: Ann Emerg Med. 2005 Apr;45(4):409-13
references.pmid: 15795720
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265-75
references.pmid: 14907713
references.citation: Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2002 Jul 15;27(14):1504-10
references.pmid: 12131708
references.citation: Urol J. 2011 Fall;8(4):313-9
references.pmid: 22090052
references.citation: Cerebellum. 2007;6(4):308-14
references.pmid: 17853088
references.citation: Neurosci Lett. 1999 Jan 8;259(2):79-82
references.pmid: 10025562
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jan 18;1:CD001046
references.pmid: 22258943
references.citation: Neurosurg Rev. 1998;21(4):260-4
references.pmid: 10068187