N-Acetylcysteine Attenuates Monocrotophos-induced Toxicity by Mitigating Oxidative Stress and Structural Changes in Rat Liver

Abstract

The present study evaluated the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) against sub chronic monocrotophos (MCP) exposure induced oxidative stress in rat liver. Albino wistar rats were divided into control, NAC treated, MCP and MCP treated groups. An oral dose of MCP (0.9 mg/kg b.wt) and NAC (200 mg/kg b.wt) was administered for 28 days. We observed high oxidative stress generation on MCP exposure in liver tissue as evident by significant increase in lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and decreased glutathione content followed by altered activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and acetylcholinesterase. Sub chronic MCP exposure caused an array of cellular and structural alternations in lipids and proteins of liver tissue as depicted by the FTIR, histopathological and electron microscopic analysis. N-acetylcysteine attenuated the loss of glutathione and prevented lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation. Pre-treatment of NAC also restored histological and ultra space structural alternations. So NAC protects oxidative stress and tissue damage induced by sub chronic MCP exposure in rat liver; suggesting the therapeutic and antioxidant potential of NAC.