N-acetyl-cysteine inhibits liver oxidative stress markers in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Vol. 112; no. 2; pp. 146 - 154
• Main Authors: Gasparotto, Juciano, Kunzler, Alice, Senger, Mario Roberto, Souza, Celeste da Silva Freitas de, Simone, Salvatore Giovanni de, Bortolin, Rafael Calixto, Somensi, Nauana, Dal-Pizzol, Felipe, Moreira, José Claudio Fonseca, Abreu-Silva, Ana Lúcia, Calabrese, Kátia da Silva, Silva, Jr, Floriano Paes, Gelain, Daniel Pens
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 01-02-2017; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
• Subjects: Acetylcysteine - pharmacology; Animals; antioxidant treatment; Free Radical Scavengers - pharmacology; Leishmania amazonensis; Leishmania mexicana; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - metabolism; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - pathology; Liver - drug effects; Liver - enzymology; liver damage; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Oxidative Stress - physiology; PARASITOLOGY; TROPICAL MEDICINE; antioxidant treatment; liver damage; Leishmania amazonensis
• ISSN: 0074-0276; 1678-8060; 1678-8060; 0074-0276
• DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760160403

Leishmaniasis is a parasitosis caused by several species of the genus Leishmania. These parasites present high resistance against oxidative stress generated by inflammatory cells.
To investigate oxidative stress and molecular inflammatory markers in BALB/c mice infected with L. amazonensis and the effect of antioxidant treatment on these parameters.
Four months after infection, oxidative and inflammatory parameters of liver, kidneys, spleen, heart and lungs from BALB/c mice were assessed.
In liver, L. amazonensis caused thiol oxidation and nitrotyrosine formation; SOD activity and SOD2 protein content were increased while SOD1 protein content decreased. The content of the cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and the receptor of advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) increased in liver. Treatment with the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (20 mg/kg b.w) for five days inhibited oxidative stress parameters.
L. amazonensis induces significant alterations in the redox status of liver but not in other organs. Acute antioxidant treatment alleviates oxidative stress in liver, but it had no effect on pro-inflammatory markers. These results indicate that the pathobiology of leishmaniasis is not restricted to the cutaneous manifestations and open perspectives for the development of new therapeutic approaches to the disease, especially for liver function.