FIG. 5.

Inhibition of ROS induction by NAC. (A) DCFH₂-DA-loaded Kato III cells were treated with 10 mM NAC or media alone 1 h before stimulation with media, 400 μM H₂O₂, or H. pylori at a ratio of bacteria to epithelial cells of 300:1. Data are depicted as mean levels of maximal DCF fluorescence within 20 min of stimulation in NAC-treated cells expressed as percentages of fluorescence in cells without NAC (means ± SEM; n = 4 to 6 experiments). *, P < 0.05 compared to cells without NAC pretreatment. (B) Identical experiments performed with epithelial cells isolated from subjects without H. pylori infection (n = 3). *, P < 0.05 compared to cells without NAC pretreatment.