Neuroprotective effects of N-acetylcysteine amide on experimental focal penetrating brain injury in rats

• We examined the effects of N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) in the secondary inflammatory response following a novel method of focal penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has limited but well-documented neuroprotective effects after experimental central nervous system ischemia and TBI, but its bioavailability is very low. We tested NACA, a modified form of NAC with higher membrane and blood-brain barrier permeability. Focal penetrating TBI was produced in male Sprague-Dawley rats randomly selected for NACA treatment (n = 5) and no treatment (n = 5). In addition, four animals were submitted to sham surgery. After 2 hours or 24 hours the brains were removed, fresh frozen, cut in 14 mu m coronal sections and subjected to immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Fluoro-Jade and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) analyses. All treated animals were given 300 mg/kg NACA intraperitoneally (IP) 2 minutes post trauma. The 24 hour survival group was given an additional bolus of 300 mg/kg IF after 4 hours. NACA treatment decreased neuronal degeneration by Fluoro-Jade at 24 hours with a mean change of 35.0% (p

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Neurologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Neurology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Neurosciences & Neurology

oxidative stress

thiol antioxidant

protects

contusion

bioenergetics

activation

N-acetylcysteine amide

Neuroprotection

glutathione

Traumatic brain injury

traumatic brain

superoxide

Inflammation

Sprague-Dawley

neurodegeneration

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)