ArticleCell chemical biology2018
N-Acetyl Cysteine Functions as a Fast-Acting Antioxidant by Triggering Intracellular H
Article in Cell chemical biology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 214 papers.
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Who cites it
214 citing papers in PubMed.
- Antenatal N-acetylcysteine to improve outcomes of premature infants with intra-amniotic infection and inflammation (Triple I): randomized clinical trial.Pediatric research · 2021Trial
- Dual-mechanism vitamin C delivery by polyethylene glycol-23 glyceryl distearate-based niosomes via SVCT2 induction and enhanced transdermal penetration.Drug delivery · 2026Article
- Exogenous N-Acetyl-L-cysteine Improves Soybean Saline-Alkali Tolerance by Enhancing the hGSH Pathway to Alleviate Oxidative Damage.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Dapsone and N-Acetylcysteine Exert a Synergistic Antinociceptive Effect Associated with Oxidative Stress After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: An Isobolographic Study.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Cysteine derivatives coordinate photosynthetic performance and osmotic adjustment to enhance drought tolerance in vegetable soybean.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- D-salicin induces oxidative stress-mediated ERK1/2 suppression and apoptosis in endometrial cancer cells.Oncology letters · 2026Article
- N-Acetylcysteine protects the developing brain in neonatal sepsis-like inflammation via a redox-neurovascular pathway.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Article
- The Redox Paradox of Natural Supplements in Cancer: A Narrative Review to Guide Clinical Practice.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Precise delivery of medical gases by engineered nanomedicine for enhanced liver fibrosis therapy.Materials today. Bio · 2026Review
- Antenatal N-acetylcysteine supplementation in pregnant women with impending preterm birth: a prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Differential Antioxidant Capacities of Human Endometriotic and Endometrial Cell Models Under HInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Prophylactic Nebulized hUC-MSC-EVs Attenuate Hypobaric Hypoxia-Induced Lung Injury via Alveolar-Capillary Barrier Stabilization and TEK/Tie2 Preservation.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Disease mechanisms revealed in the P23H opsin knock-in mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa.PNAS nexus · 2026Article
- Tumor suppressor function of SHMT in a Drosophila RasCell death & disease · 2026Article
- Article
- Decreased Plasma Concentration of Hydrogen Sulfide in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Novel Determinant of Mortality?Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Review
- Inhibitory GABAergic Neuron Loss due to Oxidative Damage During Ex Vivo Acute Brain Slice Preparation Influences Genesis and Dynamics of Epileptiform Activity.Journal of neurochemistry · 2026Article
- N-acetyl cysteine amide mitigates oxidative stress and apoptosis in a rat model of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Tumor necrosis factor alpha triggers mitochondrial dysfunction and ROS-driven cytokine amplification in bovine fibroblast-like synoviocytes.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
154 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The cysteine prodrug N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is widely used as a pharmacological antioxidant and cytoprotectant. It has been reported to lower endogenous oxidant levels and to protect cells against a wide range of pro-oxidative insults. As NAC itself is a poor scavenger of oxidants, the molecular mechanisms behind the antioxidative effects of NAC have remained uncertain. Here we show that NAC-derived cysteine is desulfurated to generate hydrogen sulfide, which in turn is oxidized to sulfane sulfur species, predominantly within mitochondria. We provide evidence suggesting the possibility that sulfane sulfur species produced by 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase and sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase are the actual mediators of the immediate antioxidative and cytoprotective effects provided by NAC.
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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.