N-acetylcysteine to ameliorate acute renal injury in a rat cardiopulmonary bypass model

Objective Oxidative stress and systemic inflammation response contribute to acute renal injury post cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that administration of the antioxidant N -acetylcysteine would be beneficial to renal function after cardiopulmonary bypass in a rat model. Methods Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups (each n=6): sham group, cardiopulmonary bypass group, and two N -acetylcysteine–treated cardiopulmonary bypass groups (bolus doses of 200 and 500 mg/kg in cardiopulmonary bypass prime). Blood samples were collected at the beginning of cardiopulmonary bypass, at the cessation of cardiopulmonary bypass, and at 2 and 12 postoperative hours. The kidneys were harvested at 12 postoperative hours. Results Serum creatinine and cystatin C continuously increased in all cardiopulmonary bypass groups ( P N -acetylcysteine significantly reversed these effects ( P P N -acetylcysteine–treated groups had higher levels of these antioxidants than the untreated bypass group ( P P N -acetylcysteine attenuated these changes dose dependently. Conclusion Administration of the antioxidant N -acetylcysteine preserved renal function after cardiopulmonary bypass dose dependently. Furthermore, oxidative stress and systemic inflammation were significantly reduced in the treated animals.