Effects of N-Acetylcysteine and Folic Acid on Hepatic Steatosis and Oxidative Stress Caused by Obesity in Rats
Aim: In this study, we investigated the effects of using N-acetylcysteine and/or folic acid on liver fattening in rats with high-fat diet and obesity.
Materials and methods: 35 Wistar albino rats used in the study were divided into four groups. Groups are as follows: FAG (N=8) high-fat diet+folic acid 10 mg/kg, NASG (N=8) high-fat diet+N-acetylcysteine 100 mg/kg, NFG (N=8) high-fat feed +N-acetylcysteine was regulated as 100 mg/kg+folic acid 10 mg/kg, animals fed with PCG (N=10) high-fat feed. Rats were fed high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Folic acid and N-acetylcysteine treatments were performed at the end of the feeding period after they were determined to be obese according to the Lee index. After 4 weeks of application, biochemistry, oxidant-antioxidant, histochemical comet assay and iNOS staining laboratory studies were performed by taking liver tissue and blood under anesthesia.
Results: It was observed that feeding with a high-fat diet caused obesity, fatty liver and oxidative stress. In the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, N-acetylcysteine and folic acid were found to cause partial improvement in oxidative stress. The fact that in liver enzymes of total cholesterol averages were significantly high showed that using these two drugs together in NFG could increase for the glycolipid/phospholipid permeability and increase cholesterol levels. It was observed that folic acid protects the liver from oxidative stress by decreasing malondialdehyde values and increasing superoxide dismutase values, and statistically corrected the SOD values of N-acetyl cysteine. It was determined that folic acid repairs DNA fractures caused by oxitative stress and N-acetylcysteine application partially improves in DNA fractures. The most effective result in iNOS immunohistochemical staining showing damage to the fatty liver was found to be effective in the use of combinations in NFG. It was observed that the drug providing improvement in liver histochemical was N-acetylcysteine, although folic acid did not make a statistically significant difference even though it provided some improvement in liver histochemical.
Conclusion: As a result of the findings we obtained, folic acid was thought to be an effective chemical against the formation of damage in the fatty liver. We think that more research should be done about folic acid against liver fatty. We think that the use of N-Acetylcysteine and folic acid can increase cholesterol through the permeability of lipid mechanism due to folic acid.
