[Therapeutic effect of acetylcysteine on rats with gentamicin-induced nephropathy]

Gentamicin (60 mg/kg, i.p., once per day for 10 days) produces a nephrotoxic effect in rats, which is manifesting by the epithelium necrosis of proximal convoluted tubules (especially of cortical nephrons), decreasing creatinine clearance, and increasing protein in the urine. Acetylcysteine (40 mg/kg, i.p., once per day for 10 days) significantly decreases manifestations of the gentamicin nephrotoxicity. Acetylcysteine administration leads to the appearance of normal tubules (absent in rats treated by gentamicin), decreases the number of necrotized proximal convoluted tubules of cortical nephrons and reduces their internal diameter, and increases the height of paving epitheliocytes. The content of detrite in tubules of juxtamedullar nephrons decreases, while the activity of alkaline phosphatase in proximal convoluted tubules of cortical and juxtamedullar nephrons and the activity of lactatedehydrogenase in cortical nephrons increases.