Effects of N-acetylcysteine on regeneration following partial hepatectomy in rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

• DOI: 10.1007/s00595-008-3930-4
• Publication Date: 2009-06-27T01:18:34Z
• Authors: Mehmet Ali Uzun; Neset Koksal; Huseyin Kadioglu; Yusuf Gunerhan; Suat Aktas; Nevra Dursun; Ahmet Ozer Sehirli
• Keywords: Male; 0303 health sciences; Antioxidants; Acetylcysteine; Liver Regeneration; Rats; Fatty Liver; Oxidative Stress; 03 medical and health sciences; Mitotic Index; Animals; Hepatectomy; Rats, Wistar

To investigate the effect of N-acetylcysteine on regeneration following partial hepatectomy in rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).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.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.N-Acetylcysteine enhanced regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats with NAFLD. We believe that it exerted this effect through its influence on oxidative stress.