Effect of N-acetylcysteine loaded in biocompatible nanoparticle on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury model in rats

Antioxidants plays an important role in the treatment of acute lung injury (ALI). Recently, Nanoparticle-based drug delivery system has been investigated in many diseases including ALI. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on ALI when loaded in a biocompatible nanoparticle (Nano). Sprague‐Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administered by NAC (100mg) only or NAC+Nano 30 minutes after intratracheal instillation of LPS (3 mg/kg). After 6 hours, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were collected. NAC+Nano-treated rats showed significant reduction in the intracellular ROS, the number of inflammatory cells, and cytokines (TNF‐α and IL‐6) in BALF compared with LPS‐ or NAC-treated. In lung tissue, NAC+Nano‐treated rats showed significantly decreased malondialdehyde content and increased activity of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase compared with LPS‐ or NAC-treated. Lung injury score, myeloperoxidase activity, and iNOS expression were significantly decreased in NAC+Nano-treated rats compared with LPS‐ or NAC-treated. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that NAC+Nano significantly suppressed LPS‐induced activation of SAPK/JNK and p38 in MAPK pathway. Our results suggest that NAC+Nano may have protective effects on LPS‐induced ALI thorough anti‐oxidative and anti‐inflammatory effects which may be due to inactivation of the SAPK/JNK and p38 pathway. Also, this effect of NAC+Nano was shown to be superior to NAC alone. These results implicate the therapeutic potential of NAC+Nano as an anti‐inflammatory agent in ALI. Furthermore, this could be the basic data for pharmacotherapy using nanoparticles in ALI.