Table 2.

Effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the glutathione content of rat lung tissue at 3 days postsaline or bleomycin exposure (NAC was daily administered at the same dose level (300 mg kg⁻¹) by intraperitoneal (i.p.) or oral route)

	GSH (μmol g−1 lung tissue)	GSSG (nmol g−1 lung tissue)	GSH/GSSG ratio
Drug vehicle+saline	2.22±0.12	22.19±2.49	103.70±8.70
NAC (i.p.)+saline	1.98±0.21	24.97±3.16	83.27±15.22
Drug vehicle+bleomycin	1.75±0.12*	44.77±6.94*	41.22±3.90*
NAC (i.p.)+bleomycin	1.81±0.11	25.90±1.65**	71.86±8.45***
Drug vehicle+saline	2.07±0.14	27.88±3.59	78.89±10.00
NAC (oral)+saline	2.10±0.12	27.97±2.78	77.08±10.29
Drug vehicle+bleomycin	1.61±0.12*	45.62±3.20*	36.06±3.71*
NAC (oral)+bleomycin	1.70±0.19	32.06±2.62**	53.9±6.31**

Values are expressed as mean±s.e.m. of five animals in each group except four in ‘NAC (i.p.) + saline' and three in ‘NAC (oral) + saline'

^*P<0.05 from the corresponding ‘drug vehicle+saline'

^**P<0.05 from the corresponding ‘drug vehicle+bleomycin'.