Attenuation by oralN-acetylcysteine of bleomycin-induced lung injury in rats

Antioxidant therapy may be useful in diseases with impaired oxidant-antioxidant balance such as pulmonary fibrosis. This study examines the effect ofN-acetylcysteine (NAC) on bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in rats.NAC (3 mmol·kg−1; oral) was given daily from 1 week prior to a single intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (2.5 U·kg−1) or saline, until 14 days postinstillation.NAC partially decreased the augmented collagen deposition in bleomycin-exposed rats (hydroxyproline content was 4,354±386 and 3,416±326 µg·lung−1in vehicle-treated and NAC-treated rats, respectively; p<0.05). The histological assessment using a semiquantitative score showed less collagen deposition and inflammatory…