Protective effects of N-acetylcystein and atorvastatin against renal and hepatic injury in a rat model of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion

Aim of the studyWe sought to examine whether the separate and combined effect of N-acetylcystein (NAC) and atorvastatin prevented hepatic and renal tissue injury induced by intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R).Material and methods40 male Wistar rats were allocated into 5 experimental groups; Control (n = 8): sham, I/R (n = 8): rats underwent occlusion of superior mesenteric artery for 45 min, Atorvastatin (n = 8): rats received 10 mg/kg atorvastatin, NAC (n = 8): rats received 160 mg/kg NAC, NAC&Atorvastatin (n = 8): rats received both aforementioned agents. Administration of the agents was facilitated by oral gavage 24 h before I/R. Serum levels of urea, creatinine, transaminases, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, ICAM-1, as well as liver and kidney histopathological examination were evaluated.ResultsPretreatment with either NAC or Atorvastatin or their combination led to lower levels of transaminases and ICAM-1 (2.75 ± 0.46, 2.88 ± 0.84 and 1.5 ± 0.76 respectively for NAC, Atorvastatin and I/R groups), while only their combination led to lower ratios of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α than I/R group (1.3 ± 0.12 vs 1.94 ± 0.54, 1.21 ± 0.11 vs 2.12 ± 0.96 and 1.33 ± 0.11 vs 2.14 ± 0.77, respectively). NAC was associated with enhanced renal tissue histology, while atorvastatin was found superior in protecting hepatic tissue degenaration.ConclusionsBoth agents, seperately and combined, seem to exhibited tissue-specific protective activity against intestinal I/R induced injury.