Antioxidant capacity of N-acetylcysteine against the molecular and cytotoxic implications of cadmium chloride leading to hepatotoxicity and vital progression

Many studies have reported that cadmium (Cd) can induce liver cell injury; however, the toxicity mechanisms of Cd on the liver have not been fully explained. Thirty-two male albino rats were divided into four groups: the control group, the N-acetylcysteine (NAC) group orally as effervescent instant sachets with a concentration of 200 mg dissolved in distilled water and dosage was 200 mg/kg body weight freshly prepared, the cadmium chloride (CdCl(2)) group (treated with 3 mg/kg orally), and the N-acetylcysteine (NAC) + cadmium chloride group (treated with 200 mg/kg orally post to CdCl(2)) for 60 days. The NAC alone did not make notable changes in most of the parameters. The CdCl(2) alone, compared to control, induced significant alterations in oxidative stress markers (increment in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO)) and antioxidant defense system (decrement in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), which resulted in a downregulation of pro-apoptotic Bcl2-associated X protein (Bax) and caspase-3 and upregulation of anti-apoptotic B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) protein as well as the survival fate of hepatic cells. Post-administration of NAC to CdCl(2) resulted in a reduction in oxidative stress markers, shifting of cells from the G(2)/M phase to the G(0)/G(1) inhibiting signal-regulated kinase activation, and impairment of the anti-apoptotic signaling pathway when compared to the CdCl(2) group alone. Accordingly, the Bcl2/Bax ratio was reduced to 1.17-fold change, as an adaptive process to hepatic tissue injury. These findings demonstrated that NAC would attenuate the possibility of oxidative stress and cytotoxicity of hepatic tissue induced by CdCl(2). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-022-23823-x.