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F D'Agostini

Publications and source records attributed to F D'Agostini.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Chemopreventive properties and mechanisms of N-Acetylcysteine. The experimental background.

The thiol N-acetylcysteine (NAC), now under clinical trial for cancer chemoprevention both in Europe (project Euroscan) and in the US (National Cancer Institute), has been shown during the past decade to exert protective effects in a variety of experimental test systems. NAC inhibited spontaneous mutagenicity and that induced by a number of chemical compounds and complex mixtures. Moreover, NAC significantly decreased the incidence of neoplastic and preneoplastic lesions induced by several chemical carcinogens in rodents (mice, rats, hamsters), e.g., in lung, trachea, colon, liver, mammary gland, Zymbal gland, bladder and skin. Our studies provided evidence that multiple mechanisms contribute to NAC antimutagenicity and anticarcinogenicity. They include extracellular mechanisms, such as detoxification of reactive compounds due to the nucleophilic and antioxidant properties of NAC, inhibition of nitrosation products, and enhancement of thiol concentration in intestinal bacteria; trapping and enhanced detoxification of carcinogens in long-lived non-target cells, such as erythrocytes and bronchoalveolar lavage cells; mechanisms working in the cytoplasm of target cells, such as replenishment of GSH stores, modulation of metabolism of mutagens/carcinogens, blocking of electrophiles, and scavenging of reactive oxygen species; and nuclear effects, such as inhibition of DNA adduction by metabolites of carcinogens, inhibition of "spontaneous" mutations, attenuation of carcinogen-induced DNA damage, and protection of nuclear enzymes, such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1995

Cancer biomarkers in human atherosclerotic lesions: no evidence of p53 involvement.

In order to assess similarities between the atherogenic and the carcinogenic processes, we investigated whether the p53 tumor suppressor gene, the most commonly altered gene in human cancer, may be also involved in human atherosclerotic lesions. The medium layers of abdominal aorta fragments taken at surgery from 32 patients were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis, using either monoclonal (Pab 1801) or polyclonal (CM-1) antibodies, and to molecular analysis by the PCR-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis approach. The results obtained indicated that p53 mutations are not involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic lesions, and that no accumulation of the wild-type protein occurs in smooth muscle cells of these lesions. A polymorphism characterized by an AT to GC transition at codon 213 (CGA --> CGG) causing no aminoacid substitution (Arg --> Arg) was detected in the 10.5% of the examined patients. Our negative findings do not support the hypothesis that the atherosclerotic plaques may be pathogenetically akin to benign tumors yet they are not in contrast with this theory, since in most cases p53 is involved in advanced stages of the carcinogenesis process.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Detection of p53 and histopathological classification of skin tumours induced by halogen lamps in hairless mice.

Skin lesions induced by exposure of three strains of female hairless mice to the light emitted by uncovered halogen quartz lamps were subjected to histopathological analysis. We examined 170 representative specimens out of a total of 597 skin lesions, i.e. 38 out of 74 SKH-1 mice, 110 out of 472 MF-1 mice, and 42 out of 51 C3H mice. The results provided evidence of various types of alterations, including preneoplastic changes, such as epidermal hyperplasia, and benign tumours, such as papillomas, as well as tumours with an increasing degree of malignancy, i.e., keratoacanthoma-like tumours, appendage/basal tumours, actinic keratoses/carcinomas in situ, and squamocellular carcinomas. SKH-1 was the most sensitive strain to the far-ultraviolet wavelengths delivered by halogen lamps, as shown not only by the shortest latency time and the highest multiplicity of skin lesions but also by the highest frequency of malignant tumours. Some areas of atypical melanocyte proliferation were only detected in C3H pigmented mice. Eighty-two of the lesions excised from MF-1 mice were additionally examined for p53 protein by immunohistochemical methods. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections and frozen sections were analyzed in parallel by using polyclonal CM-1 antibody and monoclonal PAb240 antibody, respectively. A positive response for p53 was only observed in squamocellular carcinomas, and was related to the size of cancers; in fact, six out of 10 cancers of 10-30 mm in diameter were positive, whereas all 16 cancers of 2-9 mm in diameter were negative. All six positive squamocellular carcinomas were detected by using the CM-1 antibody, which recognizes both wild-type and mutant forms of p53 protein, and five of them were also positive with the PAb 240 antibody, which only recognizes the mutant form. Thus, p53 mutation appears to be a late event in the development of halogen-induced skin tumours in hairless mice, requiring a severe degree of malignancy and an advanced stage of the neoplastic mass growth.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Potent carcinogenicity of uncovered halogen lamps in hairless mice.

Uncovered halogen quartz lamps, which are potently genotoxic both in prokaryotic and human cells due to the emission of far-UV radiation (UVB and UVC), were assayed for carcinogenicity in three strains of hairless mice (SKH-1, MF-1, and C3H) of both sexes. As assessed in 5 independent experiments, no spontaneous skin tumor was observed, even after more than 2 years, in 49 animals used as unexposed controls or in 29 animals exposed to halogen lamps equipped with a common glass cover. In contrast, almost all of the 185 mice exposed to the light emitted by low-voltage (12 V) and low-power (50 W) tungsten bulbs, equipped with dichroic diffusers, contracted multiple skin tumors of various histological type, both benign and malignant. Tumors were induced over a range of illuminance levels (1,000, 3,333, 5,000, and 10,000 lux) and daily exposure times (1.5, 3, 6, and 12 h). The tumor latency times were quite short and significantly correlated with the daily exposure times, as well as with the square of the distance (46-194 cm) from the illumination source. A carcinogenic effect was even observed when exposure was discontinued well before the appearance of skin lesions. Both in vitro genotoxicity data and animal carcinogenicity data support the view that the light emitted by uncovered halogen lamps, to which an enormous number of individuals are exposed, may pose carcinogenic risks to humans. Without renouncing the benefits of this modern illumination system, UV-blocking devices should be compulsory.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Chemoprevention of carcinogen-DNA adducts and chronic degenerative diseases.

Molecular dosimetry techniques were exploited in order to assess the efficacy of experimental chemoprevention assays and to evaluate the involvement of DNA alterations, not only in cancer but also in other chronic degenerative diseases. In agreement with other protective effects previously observed in the same animal models, the thiol N-acetylcysteine (NAC) totally prevented or significantly reduced the formation of carcinogen-DNA adducts in three experimental systems in rats. Thus, as assessed by 32P postlabeling, supplement of the diet with NAC decreased both deoxyguanosine-C8-aminofluorene adducts (butanol enrichment) and deoxyguanosine-N2-acetylaminofluorene adducts (nuclease P1 enrichment) formed in rat liver following dietary administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene for 3 weeks. DNA adducts were detected by synchronous fluorescence spectrophotometry in rat liver, lung, heart, and testis following a daily i.t. instillation of benzo(a)pyrene for 3 consecutive days. The whole-body exposure of rats to mainstream cigarette smoke for 40 consecutive days resulted in the appearance of DNA adducts in heart, lung, and aorta, whereas no adduct was detected by synchronous fluorescence spectrophotometry in liver, brain, and testis. Multiple DNA adducts in the aorta were also measured by 32P postlabeling. Administration of NAC by gavage inhibited the formation of DNA adducts in all organs of rats treated with benzo(a)pyrene or exposed to cigarette smoke. It is of interest that a single chemopreventive agent can display a broad-spectrum protective ability. The selective localization of DNA adducts in different organs depends on pharmacokinetics, metabolic capacity, DNA repair efficiency, and cell proliferation rate. Whereas inhibition by NAC of DNA adducts in testis can be correlated with its demonstrated ability to prevent dominant lethal mutations, we raise the hypothesis that DNA adducts in lung, heart, and aorta may be pathogenetically associated with lung cancer, cardiomyopathies, and arteriosclerosis, respectively. In order to explore the involvement of molecular and biochemical alterations in human arteriosclerosis, we started an extensive collaborative project and report here preliminary data showing the presence of DNA adducts in aorta smooth muscle cells obtained from arteriosclerotic patients.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗
PubMed1994

Experimental databases on inhibition of the bacterial mutagenicity of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide and cigarette smoke.

Two antimutagenicity databases were prepared by applying a co-treatment procedure to the Salmonella reversion assay. Ninety compounds belonging to various chemical classes were quantitatively tested for antimutagenicity towards the direct-acting mutagen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) in strain TA100 of S. typhimurium and 63 of them were additionally tested for antimutagenicity towards unfractionated mainstream cigarette smoke (CS) in strain TA98, in the presence of S9 mix. Twelve compounds (13.3%) inhibited 4NQO mutagenicity by at least 50%, with a MID50 (dose inhibiting 50% of mutagenicity) varying over a 1226-fold range. Twenty-six compounds (41.3%) inhibited CS mutagenicity, with a MID50 varying over a 520-fold range. Three compounds only, i.e., bilirubin, curcumin and myricetin, were capable of inhibiting the mutagenicities of both 4NQO and CS. However, myricetin and the other flavonoid rutin were at the same time mutagenic by inducing frameshift mutations following metabolic activation. There was a rather rigorous selectivity of antimutagenicity data depending on the chemical class of inhibitors and it was possible to discriminate protective effects within several pairs or series of structurally related compounds. For instance, all eight thiols and aminothiols inhibited 4NQO mutagenicity, which contrasted with the inactivity of the remaining 17 sulfur compounds tested, all of them lacking a free sulfhydryl group. The mutagenicity of CS was consistently inhibited by the majority of phenols (eight out of 10 tested) and by all two isothiocyanates, two dithiocarbamates, three indole derivatives, three tetrapyrrole compounds and three flavonoids tested. Although the results obtained cannot be extrapolated to other mutagens or test systems, they may provide a useful source of information for research in the area of antimutagenesis and for the development of chemopreventive agents.

4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide↗
PubMed1994

Metabolic activation of a cigarette smoke condensate by woodchuck liver, as related to sex, pregnancy, hepatitis virus infection and primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

The liver S12 fractions from 23 woodchucks were assayed for the ability to activate a cigarette smoke condensate to metabolites inducing frameshift mutations in strain TA98 of S. typhimurium. At equivalent protein concentration, all samples activated this complex mixture to a similar extent, without any significant difference related to sex, hepatitis virus (WHV) infection, or primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, unlike aflatoxin B1, aromatic amines and heterocyclic amines, whose metabolic activation has been shown to be stimulated by WHV infection in the same liver samples used in the present study, genotoxic components present in the particulate of mainstream cigarette smoke do not appear to be more readily biotransformed in vitro by preparations of infected hepatocytes. A significant increase of metabolism was however recorded in a small number of WHV-infected pregnant animals, which deserves attention in the light of the adverse effects of both hepadnavirus infection and cigarette smoking in pregnancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Cytosolic activation of aromatic and heterocyclic amines. Inhibition by dicoumarol and enhancement in viral hepatitis B.

The aromatic amines 2-aminofluorene (2AF), 2-acetylaminofluorene, and 2-aminoanthracene, and the heterocyclic amines 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline, and 3-amino-1-methyl-SH-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-2) were activated by rat liver cytosolic fractions to form mutagenic metabolites in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TA98NR, and TA98/1,8-DNP6. In the case of the Trp-P-2, the cytosolic activation was even more potent than the microsomal activation, which is classically ascribed to N-hydroxylation and subsequent esterification. The cytosolic activation was a) NADPH-dependent, b) induced by pretreatment of rats with 3-methylcholanthrene and especially Aroclor 1254 but not by phenobarbital, and c) inhibited by dicoumarol. The hypothesis is that, following a preliminary oxidative step in the cytosol (pure cytosolic activation) or in microsomes via prostaglandin H synthase (mixed microsomal-cytosolic activation), an oxidized intermediate of amino compounds may serve as substrate for DT diaphorase activity and bielectronically reduced to the corresponding N-hydroxyamino derivative. Purified DT diaphorase, in the presence of either NADPH or NADH as electron donor, produced mutagenic derivatives from IQ and Trp-P-2. An NADPH-dependent activation of Trp-P-2 also occurred in the liver cytosol of woodchucks (Marmota monax), but was not inhibited by dicoumarol. As previously demonstrated with liver S-12 fractions in both humans and woodchucks, the cytosolic activation of Trp-P-2 was enhanced in animals affected by hepatitis B virus infection. This enhanced metabolism, which persisted even after appearance of primary hepatocellular carcinoma in virus carriers, is likely to be ascribed to mechanisms other than DT diaphorase induction, such as glutathione depletion.

Amines↗
PubMed1993

Multiple genotoxicity biomarkers in fish exposed in situ to polluted river water.

Specimens of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were either kept in an aquarium under laboratory conditions or caged in the River Po (Northern Italy), upstream or downstream the confluence with the River Lambro, a small yet heavily polluted tributary. Genotoxicity biomarkers, evaluating the internal dose or early biological effects, were monitored after 7, 15 and 30 days of in situ exposure. With the exception of a slight increase of aminopyrine-N-demethylase and uridine-5'-diphospho-glucuronosyl-transferase, no significant effect was produced in fish kept upstream the River Lambro, as compared to control fish kept in the aquarium. In contrast, the responsibility of this tributary in carrying sublethal doses of both genotoxic agents and enzyme inducers into the main river was proved by the significant occurrence of early biological alterations in fish caged downstream. In fact, (a) bile extracts contained frameshift mutagens requiring metabolic activation, with a prevalence of liposoluble components after a short exposure, followed by a time-related increase of conjugated components, in minor part with glucuronic acid; (b) the monooxygenases aminopyrine-N-demethylase, uridine-5'-diphospho-glucuronosyl-transferase and, with sharp differences, arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase and 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase were enhanced in liver microsomal fractions; (c) the liver cytosolic fractions had an enhanced ability to convert 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido(4,3)indole into mutagenic metabolites in S. typhimurium; (d) cytogenetic damage was demonstrated by an increased frequency of micronuclei in peripheral blood erythrocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Induction of micronuclei in cultured human lymphocytes exposed to quartz halogen lamps and its prevention by glass covers.

The light emitted by an uncovered tungsten halogen lamp (12 V, 50 W), equipped with a dichroic mirror, induced time-related and distance-related increases in the frequency of micronucleated lymphocytes following in vitro exposure. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from three healthy donors showed the same degree of sensitivity. This clastogenic effect could be ascribed to the emission of far-UV wavelengths (UVB and UVC) and was prevented by interposing a common glass cover. These results support the findings of our genotoxicity studies in repair-deficient bacteria and carcinogenicity studies in hairless mice, thereby suggesting possible health hazards associated with illumination with halogen quartz bulbs, to which an enormous number of individuals are nowadays exposed. These hazards can be simply avoided by using glass covers.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Pulmonary alveolar macrophages in molecular epidemiology and chemoprevention of cancer.

In addition to possessing an extraordinary sweeping activity, pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) are equipped with the biochemical mechanisms involved in the metabolism of carcinogens, which were found to be inducible in humans by cigarette smoke. Moreover, several defense processes were stimulated in rat PAM after in vivo administration of the anticarcinogen N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts, as revealed by synchronous fluorescence spectrophotometry, were selectively detected in PAM of smokers and persisted up to 6 months. The amount of adducts was significantly correlated with the number of currently smoked cigarettes but not with the cigarettes smoked in a lifetime (pack-years). Nevertheless, deviations from the regression line pointed out the role of interindividual variability factors in adduct formation. Probably due to the low mitotic rate of PAM in the respiratory lumen, the frequency of micronuclei was not enhanced in smokers. However, parallel assays in rats showed that micronuclei can be enhanced after massive intratracheal administration of benzo[a]pyrene or whole-body exposure to high amounts of mainstream cigarette smoke, which also induced BPDE-DNA adducts in lung cells and other organs, including the heart. All these adverse effects were markedly inhibited by the oral administration of NAC, which provides the premise and rationale for a future study on the protective effects of oral NAC in heavy smokers.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗
PubMed1993

Monoamine oxidase-A inhibitors and dopamine metabolism in rat caudatus: evidence that an increased cytosolic level of dopamine displaces reversible monoamine oxidase-A inhibitors in vivo.

The effects of reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase-A (moclobemide, Ro 41-1049, both 20 mg/kg, i.p., and brofaromine, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) on the outflow of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid) as well as of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was investigated by trans-striatal microdialysis in rats. These drugs markedly increased the level of DA in the dialysis fluid by 100% of basal values and concomitantly reduced the output of 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid by 90%. The presence of tetrodotoxin in the perfusion fluid decreased the basal DA outflow and virtually abolished the rise in DA efflux after moclobemide administration. On the other hand, tetrodotoxin did not counteract the DA outflow induced by Ro 4-1284 (1 mg/kg, i.p.), a tetrabenazine derivative which rapidly releases DA from vesicles and causes a massive increase in the concentration of extravesicular amine. The injection of Ro 4-1284 30 min after moclobemide, brofaromine or Ro 41-1049 induced a 6-fold increase in DA outflow, which was accompanied by a transient increase in 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels. This latter effect was more marked for moclobemide than for the other two reversible inhibitors tested and was not observed in rats given the irreversible inhibitor clorgyline (5 mg/kg, i.p.). These results support the view that a large increase in the concentration of endogenous substrates in the cytosol might displace reversible monoamine oxidase-A inhibitors from the enzyme active sites. Therefore, the microdialysis technique seems to be a reliable in vivo method for assessing the degree of reversibility of monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

2H-Benzo(a)quinolizin-2-ol, 2-Ethyl-1,3,4,6,7,11b-↗
PubMed1992

Protection by N-acetylcysteine of the histopathological and cytogenetical damage produced by exposure of rats to cigarette smoke.

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed whole-body to mainstream cigarette smoke (CS) once daily for 40 consecutive days. Such a treatment resulted in a significant decrease of body weight growth and in intense histopathological changes of terminal airways, including a severe inflammation of bronchial and bronchiolar mucosae, with multiple hyperplastic and metaplastic lesions and foci of micropapillomatous growth as well as emphysema, with extensive disruption of alveolar walls. All histopathological changes were efficiently prevented by the daily administration of the thiol N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) by gavage. Cytological and cytogenetical changes were monitored in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and bone marrow cells of groups of rats killed after 1, 3, 8, 28, or 40 days of treatment. From the first day of exposure, CS significantly enhanced the proportion of polymorphonucleates among BAL cells and the frequency of micronucleated (MN) bone marrow polychromatic erythrocytes. After 8 days, a reduction was observed in the polychromatic/normochromatic erythrocytes ratio and an increase in the frequency of MN pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) was also recorded, followed, after 28 days, by an increase of binucleated PAM. All these alterations immediately reached a plateau and persisted unchanged until the end of the experiment. NAC administration exhibited a significant and considerable protective effect towards the CS-induced alterations of BAL cellularity, the increase of MN PAM and bone marrow cytotoxicity.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1992

Modulation of the mutagenic response in prokaryotes.

Short-term tests investigating genetic end-points in prokaryotes have been extensively used worldwide not only for risk assessment purposes but also for evaluating the modulation of the mutagenic response. In spite of some intrinsic limitations, such as the lack of cell compartmentalization or the need for an exogenous metabolic system working extracellularly, experimental systems in bacteria can provide useful preliminary indications and some information on the mechanisms involved. In the large majority of studies the putative modulator is mixed with a known mutagen and then assayed in target bacteria, with suitable controls. However, under natural conditions exposure of target cells to modulators may either precede, co-exist with, or follow exposure to mutagens. Therefore, a variety of methodological variations, involving pre-treatment, co-treatment, or post-treatment of bacteria with the putative modulator, have been designed. Application of these procedures showed that the effects of modulators can be completely upset, from inhibition to enhancement, or vice versa, by changing the experimental conditions. Use of methodological variations may provide more complete information on the spectrum of possible effects in bacteria as well as a better insight into modulation mechanisms. Several examples illustrating the flexibility of the Salmonella test in this field of research are available. On the other hand, the widespread use of these relatively simple techniques, yet requiring skillfulness and experience, may lead to some misuse or oversimplifications. A rather common inadequacy is to use excessive amounts of test mutagens, or to express the results in terms of revertants/survivors, rather than revertants/plate. In fact, in the Salmonella test the number of revertants is rather unrelated to the initial number of plated bacteria, provided a normal background lawn of bacterial growth is formed. Thus, a 50% killing of bacteria will not appreciably influence the number of revertants/plate, but expressed as revertants/survivors the effect will look twice as large.

Antimutagenic Agents↗
PubMed1992

Chemoprevention of smoke-related DNA adduct formation in rat lung and heart.

The formation of smoke-related DNA adducts and their chemoprevention were investigated in tissues of male Sprague-Dawley rats, by testing a total of 132 DNA samples by synchronous fluorescence spectrophotometry (SFS), which mainly detects benzo[a]pyrene diolepoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts. Groups of six animals each were exposed whole-body to mainstream cigarette smoke, once daily, for up to 40 consecutive days. No adduct was revealed in liver DNA, whereas smoke-related DNA adducts were detectable in the lung from the 8th day of exposure and continued to increase until the 40th day. Adducts to heart DNA, which were monitored after 28 and 40 days of exposure, attained even higher levels than those detected in the lungs of the same animals. A high correlation existed between the amounts of smoke-related DNA adducts measured in these two organs. The daily administration by gavage of the thiol N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), an effective mutation and cancer chemopreventive agent, which had been previously shown to inhibit the formation of SFS-positive DNA adducts in rats receiving intratracheal instillations of benzo[a]pyrene, significantly prevented occurrence of the same adducts in both heart and lungs of smoke-exposed rats. No fluorescence signal was observed in liver, lung, or heart DNA of sham-exposed animals. The findings of this molecular dosimetry study complement the results of parallel histopathologic, cytogenetic, biochemical and metabolic analyses of tissues and cells from the same rats, providing evidence for a variety of significant alterations produced by exposure to cigarette smoke and for the specific protective role of NAC.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗
PubMed1992

Micronuclei in human alveolar macrophages.

Occurrence of micronuclei was monitored in pulmonary alveolar macrophages collected from 31 individuals undergoing diagnostic bronchoalveolar lavage. The overall frequency of micronucleated cells was 3.88 +/- 1.84/1000, without any significant difference attributable to sex, age, pathology, occupation, or smoking habits. The lack of influence of cigarette smoke on this clastogenicity index presumably reflects the very low rate of mitoses of macrophages in the alveolar lumen.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Chemoprevention of genotoxic damage in lung cells of rats exposed to cigarette smoke].

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) according to a complex protocol which lasted 40 days. Some of the groups were pre-treated with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) by gavage (1 g/kg b.w.) 5 h before each exposure. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in each animal at the end of each exposure period in order to recover pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM). Cells were identified and counted under the microscope, and the number of micronucleated (MN) and binucleated (BN) PAM was registered. The results showed an increase in the number of MN PAM, which was already evident after 8 days of CS exposure; this increase remained constant after 28 and 40 days of exposure. A significant decrease in the number of MN PAM was observed in the animals pre-treated with NAC. BN PAM were significantly increased after 28 and 40 days of exposure; again, a slight yet not significant decrease was detected in NAC-pre-treated animals. On the whole, this study demonstrates that CS is clearly clastogenic to alveolar macrophages and that NAC can efficiently prevent this cytogenetic damage.

Acetylcysteine↗