N-acetylcysteine protects pancreatic islet against glucocorticoid toxicity

AbstractObjectivesReactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in many physiological and pathological processes. In the present study, we analysed whether the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone induces oxidative stress in cultured pancreatic islets and whether the effects of dexamethasone on insulin secretion, gene expression, and viability can be counteracted by concomitant incubation with N-acetylcysteine (NAC).MethodsROS production was measured by dichlorofluorescein (DCFH-DA) assay, insulin secretion by radioimmunoassay, intracellular calcium dynamics by fura-2-based fluorescence, gene expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses and cell viability by the MTS assay.ResultsDexamethasone (Dexa) increased ROS production and decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion after 72 hours incubation. Intracellular ROS levels were decreased and the insulin secretion capacity was recovered by concomitant treatment with Dexa + NAC. The total insulin content and intracellular Ca2+ levels were not...