Cerebellum Susceptibility to Neonatal Asphyxia: Possible Protective Effects of N-Acetylcysteine Amide

Background. After perinatal asphyxia, the cerebellum presents more damage than previously suggested. Objectives. To explore if the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) could reduce cerebellar injury after hypoxia-reoxygenation in a neonatal pig model. Methods. Twenty-four newborn pigs in two intervention groups were exposed to 8% oxygen and hypercapnia, until base excess fell to −20 mmol/l or the mean arterial blood pressure declined to <20 mmHg. After hypoxia, they received either NACA (NACA group, n=12) or saline (vehicle-treated group, n=12). One sham-operated group (n=5) served as a control and was not subjected to hypoxia. Observation time after the end of hypoxia was 9.5 hours. Results. The intranuclear proteolytic activity in Purkinje cells of asphyxiated vehicle-treated pigs was significantly higher than that in sham controls (p=0.03). Treatment with NACA was associated with a trend to decreased intranuclear proteolytic activity (p=0.08), There were significantly less mutations in the mtDNA of the NACA group compared with the vehicle-treated group, 2.0 × 10−4 (±2.0 × 10−4) versus 4.8 × 10−5(±3.6 × 10−4, p