The Protective Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on FAS Gene Expression Level in the Ovaries of Rats Treated with Acrylamide

N-acetylcysteine is an antioxidant drug that is used to treat many disorders, including the treatment of poisoning. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the protective effect of different doses of N-acetylcysteine on the change in FAS gene expression level in the ovarian tissue of rats treated with acrylamide as a toxic compound.

Thirty-six female, adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 equal groups. The dose of acrylamide was 50 mg/kg and the doses of N-acetylcysteine were 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg. The grouping of animals included the control group, acrylamide, N-acetylcysteine and a combination of acrylamide and N-acetylcysteine. 28 days later, the ovaries of the animals were removed and FAS mRNA expression level was measured by real-time PCR method.

Acrylamide alone increased the FAS expression level compared to the control group (p˂0.05). On the other hand, N-acetylcysteine at the maximum dose (40 mg/kg) did not show a significant difference in FAS expression level compared to the control group (p˃0.05).

Administration of acrylamide in rats increases FAS expression level in ovarian tissue and induces apoptosis. On the other hand, the administration of N-acetylcysteine at the maximum dose (40 mg/kg) improves FAS expression level with antioxidant effects and inhibits induced apoptosis in the ovarian tissue.