Effects of N-Acetylcysteine on Noise Exposure Induced Oxidative Stress and Depressive- and Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Adult Male Mice
Background: Depression and anxiety are the most common psychiatric disorders that widely occur in industrial societies and severely affect individual's lives. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a mucolytic compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of NAC against chronic noise-induced depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Methods: Fifty male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: control, noise90 dB, noise110 dB, noise 90+NAC, and noise 110+NAC groups. Animals in the noise groups were exposed to the 90 and 110 dB 2 h/day for 30 days. NAC groups received NAC (325 mg/kg P.O.) 20 min after being exposed to noise. To evaluate depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, mice were subjected to open field test (OFT), sucrose preference test (SPT), tail suspension test (TST), and elevated plus maze (EPM) tasks. At the end of the behavioral tests, animals were sacrificed and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were determined in the hippocampus (HIP) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: The results showed that exposure to noise would induce anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, being reversed by NAC administration. Moreover, chronic administration of NAC resulted in a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activities and reduced lipid peroxidation (MDA levels) in the PFC and HIP of noise-exposed mice. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the administration of NAC would reduce the adverse effects of noise on the brain and would exert anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects.