N-acetylcysteine in paraquat toxicity: toxicological and histological evaluation in rats

The therapeutic effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in paraquat-treated rats was investigated. The animals were divided into four groups: A = control; B = NAC; C = paraquat; D = NAC + paraquat. In the appropriate groups, paraquat 20 mg/kg body weight was administered intraperitoneally and 1% NAC solution was provided as drinking water. All surviving rats were killed on the seventh day after paraquat exposure. The lungs were graded histologically on the basis of oedema and cellular infiltration. On histological examination, the lungs of poisoned rats that had received NAC displayed a tendency towards less oedema and cellular infiltration than those of poisoned rats not treated with NAC. It is concluded that NAC might afford some therapeutic effect against paraquat toxicity in rats.