The effect of N-acetyl-cysteine and N-omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester treatment on lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress in lung of rats

In the present study we investigated the effects of N-omega-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) on the activities of myeloperoxidase (MPO), xanthine oxidase (XO) and lipid peroxide levels as well as glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the lung of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rats. LPS treatment (5 mg/kg) caused a decrease in the GSH level and SOD activity while it led to increases in lipid peroxide levels and MPO and XO activities in the lung. LPS + L-NAME + NAC administration prevented GSH reduction and MPO, XO and lipid peroxide augmentation. The factors causing oxidative stress after LPS-treatment was found to be ameliorated following L-NAME + NAC treatment. The data suggest that L-NAME and NAC treatment together may have some beneficial effect on LPS induced lung injury