Beneficial effects of N-Acetyl-Cysteine on hepatic oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes is one of the leading diseases worldwide and, thus, finding new therapeutic alternatives is essential. The development of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is a notable diabetic complication. Therefore, antioxidant therapy became a leading topic in the world of diabetes research. The objective of this present study was to evaluate the effects of antioxidant N-Acetyl-cysteine (NAC) administration on serum biochemical parameters and oxidative stress parameters in hepatic tissue of the diabetic rats. 32 animals were divided in 4 groups (n=8), G1: Normal rats, G2: Normal rats + NAC, G3: Diabetic rats, and G4: Diabetic rats + NAC. Diabetes was induced in diabetic groups through streptozotocin. NAC administration was effective in improving hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia, as well as reducing serum alanine-aminotransferase and urea, hepatic triglycerides accumulation and oxidative stress biomarkers in the diabetic liver, as well as improving hepatic antioxidant enzymesâ activities. This effect was likely due to NACâ s ability of restoring intracellular glutathione, an important compound for the antioxidant defense, as well as due to NACâ s direct antioxidant properties. Thus, NAC administration was useful for reducing hepatic oxidative stress and decreased the deposit of triacylglycerols, minimizing diabetic hepatic damage, making it a promising therapeutic adjuvant in the future.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author