Effects of N-acetyl cysteine, vitamin E and vitamin C on liver glutathione levels following amiodarone treatment in rats

INTRODUCTION: Amiodarone, a pharmaceutical extensively used to suppress atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias, is also known to cause many side effects on many tissues. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), vitamin E and vitamin C are known as antioxidants for their ability to minimize oxidative stress. In the peer-reviewed literature, there is no study reporting on the protective effects of these antioxidant agents against its hepatotoxicity. AIM: We investigated the oxidative effects of NAC, vitamins E and C on liver tissue after amiodarone treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Rats were randomly assigned to: control; amiodarone group; amiodarone + NAC treated group; amiodarone + Vit. E group and amiodarone + Vit. C group. Liver tissues were isolated from animals and total glutathione levels were measured. RESULTS: In all time intervals, the level of glutathione increased. When all time intervals were compared, the amiodarone group revealed the lowest levels. The antioxidant co-administered group was studied; the glutathione levels were statistically significantly higher than the sole amiodarone group. When vitamins E, C or N-acetyl cysteine were examined, there was no statistically significant difference among them. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we found that hepatotoxicity capacity of amiodarone may be reduced by taking up antioxidants. In addition, the effect documented here may be reproducible and may be applied to clinical settings.