Effect of N-acetylcysteine on the liver function and mRNA and protein expressions of NF-KB in brain-dead BA-Ma mini pigs / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pretreatment on the liver function and mRNA and protein expressions of nuclear factor-KB (NF-KB) in brain-dead BA-Ma mini pigs. Methods The brain-dead model was established by increasing intracranial pressure by a modi-fied, slow and intermittent way. A total of 15 BA-Ma mini pigs were randomly and equally divided into three groups (five in each group), ie, control group (Group C) treated only with opening and closing abdomen after anesthesia; group without NAC treatment (group B) brain-dead models without use of NAC; NAC treatment group (Group N) 1 and 12 hours after establishment of brain-dead models, 200 mg/kg NAC was added into 100 ml normal saline and intravenously transfused. Levels of ALT and AST in serum as well as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were determined at 3,6,12, 18,24 hours after brain death. The changes of liver tissues were observed by HE staining under a light microscope, the uhrastruc-rural changes of liver tissues observed under electron microscope, the expression of NF-KB detected by immnohistochemistry and change of NF-KB mRNA by RT-PCR. Results (1) Compared with Group C, serum ALT and AST began to increase at 12 hours after brain death, but IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α be-gan to increase three hours after brain death in Groups B and N. mRNA and protein expressions of NF-KB in Groups B and N began to increase six hours after brain death, when Group B increased more sharply than Group N, with statistical difference (P<0.05). (2) At 12 hours after brain death, injury of liver cells in Group B was severer than that in Group N. Conclusion NAC can inhibit the mRNA and pro-tein expressions of NF-KB, decrease the release of inflammatory factors and hence protect the hepatic structure and function during brain death.