Beneficial Effects of N-Acetyl-L-cysteine or Taurine Pre- or Post-treatments in the Heart, Spleen, Lung, and Testis of Hexavalent Chromium-Exposed Mice

Hexavalent chromium[Cr(VI)] compounds may induce toxic effects, possibly via reactive intermediates and radicals formed during Cr(VI) reduction. In this study, we probed the possible effects of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and taurine pre- or post-treatments on Cr(VI)-induced changes in lipid peroxidation and nonprotein thiols (NPSH) in mice heart, lung, spleen, and testis tissues. The mice were randomly assigned to six groups, consisting of control, Cr(VI)-exposed (20 mg Cr/kg, intraperitoneal ,ip), NAC (200 mg/kg, ip) as pre-treatment and post-treatment, and taurine (1 g/kg, ip) pre-treatment and post-treatment groups. Lipid peroxidation and NPSH levels were determined and the results were compared with regard to tissue- and antioxidant-specific basis. Exposure to Cr(VI) significantly increased lipid peroxidation in all tissues as compared to the control (p < 0.05); and consistent with this data, NPSH levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Notably, administration of NAC and taurine, either before or after Cr(VI) exposure, was able to ameliorate the lipid peroxidation (p < 0.05) in all tissues. In the case of NPSH content, while the decline could be alleviated by both NAC and taurine pre- and post-treatments in the spleen, diverging results were obtained in other tissues. The effects of Cr(VI) on the lung thiols were abolished by pre-treatment with NAC and taurine; however, post-treatments could not exert significant effect. While thiol depletion in the heart was totally replenished by NAC and taurine administrations, NAC pre-treatment was partially more effective than post-treatment. In contrast with lipid peroxidation data, NAC treatment could not provide a statistically significant beneficial effect on NPSH content of the testis, whereas the effect in this tissue by taurine was profound. Thus, these data highlight the importance of tissue-specific factors and the critical role of administration time. Overall, our data suggest that NAC and taurine may have potential in prevention of Cr(VI)-induced toxicity in the heart, lung, spleen, and testis tissues.