Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH), a highly addictive drug used worldwide, induces oxidative stress in various animal organs. Recent animal studies indicate that methamphetamine also induces oxidative stress in the retina, which is an em- bryonic extension of the forebrain. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the pro- tecttive effects of N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) against oxidative stress induced by METH in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Our stud- ies showed that NACA protected against METH- induced oxidative stress in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Although METH significantly de- creased glutathione (GSH) levels and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondial- dehyde (MDA) levels, these returned to control levels with NACA treatment. Overall observa- tions indicated that NACA protected RPE cells against oxidative cell damage and death by in- hibiting lipid peroxidation, scavenging ROS, in- creasing levels of intracellular GSH, and main- taining the antioxidant enzyme activity and the integrity of the bloodretinal barrier (BRB). The effectiveness of NACA should be further evalu- ated to determine its potential for the treatment of numerous retinal diseases caused by oxidative stress.
Recommended Citation
N. Ercal et al., "N-acetyl-L-cysteine Amide Protects Retinal Pigment Epithelium Against Methamphetamine-induced Oxidative Stress," Journal of Biophysical Chemistry, Scientific Research Publishing, Jan 2012.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.4236/jbpc.2012.32012
Department(s)
Chemistry
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2153-036X
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2012 Scientific Research Publishing, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2012
