Co-administration of N-acetylcysteine with Acetaminophen could ameliorate the severity of liver damage in rats

Background and objective: Acetaminophen (APAP) is a commonly used analgesic and also the leading cause of medication-induced liver damage. On the other hand, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a medication that is used for the treatment of APAP overdose. Despite this interest, no one to the best of our knowledge has studied co-administration effects of these medications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate effects of NAC and APAP on renal and liver functions in rats when they use concurrently. Materials and Method: Male Wistar rats were orally treated with single dose of APAP or NAC (700mg/kg). Moreover, NAC at the three different doses (200, 500, and 700mg/kg) were concurrently administrated with APAP (700mg/kg). After 24 hours, the blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical and histopathological evaluations. findings: Liver and renal toxicity were well established in the 700mg/kg APAP treated rats. Consequently, liver enzymes including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), as well as blood urea and creatinine markedly increased in APAP treated rats compared to the control group. Moreover, histological examinations revealed that liver degeneration was evident in APAP treated animals. Only at the highest dose (700 mg/kg) NAC could inhibit ALT elevation. Interestingly, co-administration of NAC at the 700mg/kg could slightly change liver histological alterations from irreversible stage (fibrosis) toward reversible lesions such as necrosis and hemorrhage. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that co-administration of NAC and APAP can reduce the severity of APAP-induced liver damage in rats.

کلیدواژه ها:

Acetaminophen ، Acetylcysteine ، Drug interaction ، Hepatitis