MMSL 2012, 81(3):119-128 | DOI: 10.31482/mmsl.2012.018

EFFECT OF ACETYL-L-CARNITINE PRETREATMENT ON RADIATION PNEUMONITIS AND L-ARGININE-NO METABOLIC PATHWAYOriginal article

Andrea Babicová1, Jaroslav Pejchal ORCID...2, Zuzana Havlínová3, Martina Řezáčová1, Klára Kubelková ORCID...2, Jaroslav Chládek3, Aleš Tichý ORCID...4, Jiřina Vávrová4, Lenka Zárybnická ORCID...4, Eva Novotná2, Kamil Kuča ORCID...2, Zuzana Šinkorová ORCID...4*
1 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague, Simkova 870, 500 38 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
2 Center of Advanced Studies, Faculty of Military Health Sciences, University of Defence, Trebesska 1575, 500 01 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
3 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague, Simkova 870, 500 38 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
4 Department of Radiation Biology, Faculty of Military Health Sciences, University of Defence, Trebesska 1575, 500 01 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

Purpose: The purpose of our study is to examine the effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) pretreatment on radiation pneumonitis and L-arginine-nitric oxide (NO) metabolic pathway after local chest irradiation.

Materials and methods: Female Wistar rats were pretreated with either phosphate buffer saline or ALC and locally irradiated by a dose of 15 Gy onto the chest. Samples were collected 7 weeks after irradiation. Exhaled NO was monitored using chemiluminiscence method. In plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, nitrite/nitrate (NOx) and malondialdehyde were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.Total protein concentration was assayed colorimetrically. In lungs, inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, eNOS), arginase (Arg) I and II, cationic amino acid transporter (CAT) 1, 2 and 3 relative mRNA expression were measured by RT-PCR. Expression of Arg I and II was also evaluated by Western blot. Histochemical analysis was used to measure air/tissue ratio and neutrophil infiltration.

Results: ALC pretreatment increased survival rate of irradiated rats. It also decreased NOx concentration in BAL, while in lungs, we observed increased air/tissue ratio, reduced neutrophil infiltration, decreased CAT 1 and CAT 3 mRNA expression, and reduced Arg I and Arg II expression.

Conclusions: ALC pretreatment improves clinical prognosis and seems to reduce intensity of post-radiation changes on a molecular and microscopic level.

Keywords: ionising radiation; acetyl-L-carnitine; NO, NO synthase; arginase; cationic amino acid transporter; lung

Received: August 20, 2012; Revised: August 27, 2012; Published: September 7, 2012  Show citation

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Babicová, A., Pejchal, J., Havlínová, Z., Řezáčová, M., Kubelková, K., Chládek, J., ... Šinkorová, Z. (2012). EFFECT OF ACETYL-L-CARNITINE PRETREATMENT ON RADIATION PNEUMONITIS AND L-ARGININE-NO METABOLIC PATHWAY. MMSL, 81(3), 119-128. doi: 10.31482/mmsl.2012.018
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