Effect of L-Glutamic Acid and N-Acetylcysteine on Immunological and Hematological Indicators under the Action of CCl4-induced Stress in Rats

Xenobiotics break the processes of cell division and differentiation, inhibit protein synthesis, suppress cellular and humoral immunity. The role of amino acids in the functioning of T cells is underestimated. Glutamic acid (L-Glu) is very important during T-cell activation. In addition, the catabolism of L-Glu is closely linked to the biosynthesis of polyamines, which are important for the T cells proliferation. The next amino acid we tested was N-acetylcysteine (NAC) derived from the amino acid of cysteine. NAC and L-Glu have pronounced antioxidant, antitoxic, immunomodulatory effects, affect the intracellular content of glutathione, IL-2-dependent proliferation of T-lymphocytes, protect the cells from the free radicals effects. The purpose of our work was to investigate the changes of hematological and immunological parameters of rats blood under the action of tetrachloride Carbon (CCl4) and the additional administration of L-Glu and NAC both separately and in the complex. Material and methods. Studies were conducted on albino Wistar rats (males), weighing 200–220 g. They were housed in cages under standard laboratory conditions with a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle. All rats had a free access to a standard rodent diet and water ad libitum. After 1 week of acclimation, the rats were divided into five experimental groups. Duration of study period was 24 hours. Animals from all experimental groups were intraperitoneally exposed to CCl4. After that rats from the second experimental group were treated with an aqueous solution of L-Glu, rats of the third group – L-Glu and NAC, rats of the fourth group – NAC. Rats of the control group were administered to the appropriate amount of saline. After the end of exposure period, animals were euthanized. All procedures were conducted according to the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes (Strasbourg, 1986) and General Ethical Principles of Experiments using Animals (First National Congress of Bioethics, Kyiv, 2001), in accordance with current legislation on animal experimentation in Ukraine. Results and discussion. The obtained results showed that the CCl4-induced stress reflected in decrease in the total number of white blood cells, number of lymphocytes against the background of neutrophil increasing, changes in the number of common T-lymphocytes, T-suppressors. Additional use of amino acids in experimental animal groups caused minor changes or their absence in most of the immunological parameters under investigation. Conclusion. The above leads to the conclusion that L-Glu and NAC can be considered as broad-spectrum adaptogens. Better understanding of their role in regulating the cellular composition of blood and the T-and B-cellular immune control for the effects of factors harmful to the body can be used in the search for substances that have immunomodulatory properties and can mitigate the harmful effects of xenobiotics.