ArticleBMC microbiology2016
N-acetyl-cysteine exhibits potent anti-mycobacterial activity in addition to its known anti-oxidative functions.
Article in BMC microbiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 72 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
72 citing papers in PubMed, 118 citations in OpenAlex.
- panTB-HM: a multi-arm clinical trial of a pan-TB regimen targeting both host and microbe.Trials · 2026Trial
- Use of N-acetylcysteine as treatment adjuvant regulates immune response in visceral leishmaniasis: Pilot clinical trial andFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Trial
- Adjunct N-Acetylcysteine Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With HIV-Associated Tuberculosis Dampens the Oxidative Stress in Peripheral Blood: Results From the RIPENACTB Study Trial.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Trial
- Trial
- The Synergistic Effects of the Glutathione Precursor, NAC and First-Line Antibiotics in the Granulomatous Response AgainstFrontiers in immunology · 2018Trial
- Multi-omics analysis of glycolytic reprogramming and ROS dynamics in host-specific responses to Salmonella Typhi infection in mice.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Host-directed nanotherapy for the treatment and imaging of tuberculous meningitis.Theranostics · 2026Article
- N-acetylcysteine: evidence based consensus document on the therapeutic advantages in respiratory diseases (NECTAR).Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Additive Effects ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Association of dietary caffeine intake and metabolites in the urine of individuals with latent tuberculosis infection: a cross-sectional study.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2025Article
- Inhalable N-Acetylcysteine-loaded Lactose-coated PLGA Nanoparticles for Tuberculosis Treatment.Pharmaceutical research · 2025Article
- N-Acetylcysteine to Reduce Kidney and Liver Injury Associated with Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment.Pharmaceutics · 2025Article
- Promoting Dentin Bridge Formation Through N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine Application in Rat Molar Pulpotomy: An Experimental Study.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2025Article
- Investigation of the relationship between chronic hepatitis B and tuberculosis using bioinformatics and systems biology approaches.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- N-Acetylcysteine as a Potential Immunomodulator in Tuberculosis: Evidence of IL-2 Elevation in a Pilot Study.Journal of inflammation research · 2025Article
- N-acetylcysteine enhances bone marrow activity in treating pancytopenia induced by canine hemoprotozoan diseases.Veterinary research forum : an international quarterly journal · 2025Article
- Review
- In vitro effects of N-acetylcysteine in combination with antifungal agents against Malassezia pachydermatis isolated from canine otitis externa.Veterinary medicine and science · 2024Article
- Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Oxidant Properties of N-Acetylcysteine: A Fresh Perspective.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Host stress drives tolerance and persistence: The bane of anti-microbial therapeutics.Cell host & microbe · 2024Review
12 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMycobacterium tuberculosis infection is thought to induce oxidative stress. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is widely used in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases including tuberculosis due to its mucolytic and anti-oxidant activities. Here, we tested whether NAC exerts a direct antibiotic activity against mycobacteria.
methodsOxidative stress status in plasma was compared between pulmonary TB (PTB) patients and those with latent M. tuberculosis infection (LTBI) or healthy uninfected individuals. Lipid peroxidation, DNA oxidation and cell death, as well as accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured in cultures of primary human monocyte-derived macrophages infected with M. tuberculosis and treated or not with NAC. M. tuberculosis, M. avium and M. bovis BCG cultures were also exposed to different doses of NAC with or without medium pH adjustment to control for acidity. The anti-mycobacterial effect of NAC was assessed in M. tuberculosis infected human THP-1 cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages from mice lacking a fully functional NADPH oxidase system. The capacity of NAC to control M. tuberculosis infection was further tested in vivo in a mouse (C57BL/6) model.
resultsPTB patients exhibited elevated levels of oxidation products and a reduction of anti-oxidants compared with LTBI cases or uninfected controls. NAC treatment in M. tuberculosis-infected human macrophages resulted in a decrease of oxidative stress and cell death evoked by mycobacteria. Importantly, we observed a dose-dependent reduction in metabolic activity and in vitro growth of NAC treated M. tuberculosis, M. avium and M. bovis BCG. Furthermore, anti-mycobacterial activity in infected macrophages was shown to be independent of the effects of NAC on the host NADPH oxidase system in vitro. Short-term NAC treatment of M. tuberculosis infected mice in vivo resulted in a significant reduction of mycobacterial loads in the lungs.
conclusionsNAC exhibits potent anti-mycobacterial effects and may limit M. tuberculosis infection and disease both through suppression of the host oxidative response and through direct antimicrobial activity.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.