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Suppression of methionine-induced colon injury of young rats by cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine

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Abstract

Changes in the methionine metabolism can cause a state called hyperhomocysteinemia, inducing oxidative stress in the gut. The production of free radicals is important in the colon damage caused by methionine. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of the use of l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine on the colon morphometry of young rats treated with methionine. A total number of 32 male rats were distributed in a randomized experimental design in 4 groups: control group treated with saline; methionine group; cysteine + methionine group, and N-acetyl-l-cysteine + methionine group. After 21 days of treatment, rats were sacrificed and the colon samples were taken for histological and biochemical analysis. Methionine load increased depth of crypts, the lamina muscularis mucosae thickness, the mucosal height, and the number of cells in lamina propria (p < 0.01). Combination of methionine with l-cysteine (C group) and with N-acetyl-l-cysteine (N group) reversed methionine effects. Methionine treatment increased the GPx activity and MDA concentration, while l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine increased the catalase activity compared to methionine group. It was concluded that the use of l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine was beneficial to decrease intestinal mucosal height and oxidative damage when methionine was used in combination with them.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a Grant 175043 from Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Physiology “Richard Burian”, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Marija Stojanović, Ljiljana Šćepanović, Dušan Todorović, Dušan Mitrović & Dragan Djuric

  2. Institute for Neurosurgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Vuk Šćepanović

  3. Belgrade University of Defense, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Radomir Šćepanović

  4. University Children’s Hospital, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Slobodan Ilić

  5. Institute of Neonatology, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Teja Šćepanović

  6. Institute of Histology and Embryology “Aleksandar Đ. Kostić”, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Milica Labudović Borović, Živana Milićević, Ivana Lalić & Sanja Despotović

  7. Institute of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Vesna Dragutinović

  8. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Sunčica Borozan

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  1. Marija Stojanović
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  9. Milica Labudović Borović
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Correspondence to Marija Stojanović.

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All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Medical Faculty University of Belgrade.

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Stojanović, M., Šćepanović, L., Todorović, D. et al. Suppression of methionine-induced colon injury of young rats by cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine. Mol Cell Biochem 440, 53–64 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-017-3155-1

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