The biochemical effectiveness of N-acetylcysteine in experimental spinal cord injury in rats.

BACKGROUND
In this study, we investigated the biochemical effectiveness of methylprednisolone, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and methylprednisolone combined with NAC treatment in experimental spinal cord injury in rats.
METHODS
Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing 250-300 g were divided into four groups. Spinal cord injury was created extradurally with an aneurysm clip at the T4-T5 level. Following the trauma, Group C (Control group, n: 8) was not given any treatment. Group M (methylprednisolone group, n: 8) was treated with 30 mg.kg-1 methylprednisolone followed by a maintenance dose of 5.4 mg.kg-1 per hour. Group N (NAC group, n: 8) was given 150 mg.kg-1 NAC. Group MN (methylprednisolone and NAC group, n: 8) was given 30 mg.kg-1 followed by an hourly maintenance dose of 5.4 mg.kg-1 methylprednisolone and 150 mg.kg-1 NAC intraperitoneally. Twenty-four hours after the trauma, the rats were decapitated under anesthesia, and their spinal cord samples were taken for biochemical examination.
RESULTS
Mean malonyldialdehyde (MDA) values in Groups M, N and MN were significantly reduced compared to Group C. Mean superoxide dismutase (SOD) values in Groups M, N and MN were significantly higher than in Group C (p<0.05). No difference existed between Groups M and N with respect to mean MDA and SOD values.
CONCLUSION
Methylprednisolone, NAC and methylprednisolone plus NAC treatments have potential biochemical benefits in preventing secondary injury in experimental spinal cord injury in rats.

Sýçanlarda deneysel spinal kord hasarlanmasýnda N-asetilsisteinin biyokimyasal etkinliði

AMAÇ
Çalýþmamýzda, metilprednizolon, N-asetilsistein (NAC) ve metilprednizolonla kombine NAC tedavisininin, sýçanlarda oluþturulan deneysel spinal kord hasarlanmasýndaki biyokimyasal etkinliði karþýlaþtýrýldý.
GEREÇ VE YÖNTEM
Spraque-Dawley cinsi, ortalama 250-300 gram aðýrlýðýnda 32 erkek sýçan dört gruba ayrýldý. Spinal kord hasarlanmasý ekstradural olarak T4-T5 seviyesine yerleþtirilen anevrizma klibi ile uygulandý. Grup C’ye (Kontrol grubu, n=8) travma uygulanmasý ardýndan hiçbir tedavi uygulanmadý. Travma ardýndan Grup M’ye (Metilprednizolon grubu, n=8) 30 mg.kg-1 ardýndan idamede saatte 5,4 mg.kg-1 dozunda metilprednizolon, Grup N’ye (NAC grubu, n=8) 150 mg.kg-1 NAC, Grup MN’ye (Metilprednizolon ve NAC grubu, n=8) 30 mg.kg-1 ardýndan idamede saatte 5,4 mg.kg-1 dozunda metilprednizolon ile 150 mg.kg-1 NAC intraperitoneal olarak verildi. Travmadan 24 saat sonra sýçanlar anestezi uygulanarak dekapite edildi ve spinal kord örnekleri alýnarak biyokimyasal inceleme yapýldý.
BULGULAR
Gruplarda ortalama malondialdehid (MDA) deðerleri Grup M, Grup N, Grup MN’de, Grup C’ye göre anlamlý olarak düþüktü (p<0,05). Ortalama süperoksit dismutaz (SOD) deðerleri ise, Grup M, Grup N, Grup MN’de, Grup C’ye göre anlamlý olarak yüksekti (p<0,05). Grup M ile Grup N arasýnda ortalama MDA ve SOD deðerleri açýsýndan anlamlý farklýlýk yoktu.
SONUÇ
Metilprednizolon, NAC ve metilprednizolon ile kombine NAC tedavisinin, sýçanlarda deneysel spinal kord hasarýnda, sekonder hasarýn önlenmesinde biyokimyasal olarak faydalý olabileceði düþünüldü.