Effect of oral acetylcysteine on tobacco smoke-induced secretory cell hyperplasia.

The present investigation explores whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhibits the secretory cell hyperplasia known to occur experimentally in specific pathogen-free (SPF) bronchitic rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups: no tobacco smoke (TS), no drug, no TS but NAC (1040 mg/kg body weight), TS but no drug, and TS plus NAC. NAC-treated animals showed no ill effects, TS exposed animals showed an initial fall in weight gain which never fully recovered (P less than 0.01): NAC did not protect. TS caused a significant increase (62-421%) in secretory cell number at all airway levels distal to the upper trachea (P less than 0.01) and NAC significantly inhibited it (P less than 0.01-0.05) in all, mostly in secretory cells containing acidic glycoprotein. TS exposure also induced a significant rise in epithelial cell concentration and of ciliated, mucous and especially basal cell number (P less than 0.001). NAC inhibited the mucous cell increase (P less than 0.001) and had 3 effects on the peak of dividing cells: it was (a) delayed until 3 days (b) greatly reduced in size and (c) prolonged at a lower level until its return to control values at 10 days of TS exposure.