Fikret Altindağ, Tahir İgit
Neuro-Cell Molecular Research - 2025;2(2):34-38
Diabetic cardiomyopathy, one of the complications of diabetes, is a major cause of heart failure. N -Acetylcysteine (NAC) is an agent with numerous biological effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NAC on diabetic cardiopathy in experimental diabetic rats induced with streptozotocin. Eighteen animals were divided into three groups (n=6). Rats in the control group received only water intragastrically. The diabetes (D) group received a single dose of 45 mg/kg STZ, and the D+NAC group received a single dose of 45 mg/kg STZ and 50 mg/kg/day NAC. At the end of the 28-day experiment, heart tissues taken from the animals were examined histologically using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Masson Trichrome (MT) staining methods. In the diabetes group, myocardial apoptosis, myocardial fiber deterioration, and collagen accumulation were observed in microscopic examination of H&E and MT stains of the heart. However, NAC treatment significantly reduced these pathological changes. The findings of our study reveal that it may have a cardioprotective effect, reducing myocardial apoptosis and fibrosis in diabetic rats.
