ReviewJournal of clinical medicine2024
Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Oxidant Properties of N-Acetylcysteine: A Fresh Perspective.
Review in Journal of clinical medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Clinical effects of N-acetylcysteine in ICU patients with respiratory disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Respiratory research & clinical practice · 2026Pooled it
- Network meta-analysis of pharmacological treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: evaluating effects on lung function.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on mortality in COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Intranasal Curcumin and N-Acetyl l-Cysteine (NAC) Attenuates Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)-Aggravated Airway Inflammation by Targeting Ferroptosis via Nrf-2/GPx4-SLC7A11.Environmental toxicology · 2026Article
- An antioxidant therapy elicits distinct transcriptome responses in 22q11-deleted upper layer cortical projection neurons.Disease models & mechanisms · 2026Article
- Glutathione Biology in Neurodegenerative and Metabolic Diseases: Molecular Mechanisms, Pathophysiological Roles, and Therapeutic Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Melatonin ameliorates circadian rhythm disruption induced erectile dysfunction by inhibiting oxidative stress mediated pyroptosis via Nrf2/HO‑1 axis.International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Reactive Oxygen Species in Cardiovascular and Hematological Diseases: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies.Cureus · 2026Review
- N-Acetylcysteine in Endometriosis: A Systematic Review of Biological Rationale and Clinical Evidence.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A Combination of Artemisinin, N-acetylcysteine, Resveratrol, and Hesperidin Ameliorates Hippocampal Damage and Pathological Features in an Experimental Model of Alzheimer's Disease.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- The lung-brain axis in neurodegeneration: inflammatory, immune, and vascular mechanisms with therapeutic implications.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- Environmental Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics: Linking Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer Through Shared Biological Pathways-A Critical Review.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Structural and cellular mechanisms of mucus plugging in the larger airways.Chinese medical journal pulmonary and critical care medicine · 2026Review
- Redefining the role of the thiol-based agentRSC medicinal chemistry · 2026Review
- Mucoactive Agents in Muco-Obstructive Lung Diseases: A Critical Reappraisal of Pharmacological Effects and Clinical Outcomes.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- Therapeutic Potential of Cysteine and Its Derivatives in Dermatology.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Antioxidants as Therapeutic Tools in the Management of COPD: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Mucopenetrative Lipid-Polymer nanoparticles show Potent Anti-Inflammatory activity in a human Lung-on-Chip model.International journal of pharmaceutics · 2026Article
- Covalent modification of Keap1 Cys489 by NU6300 activates Nrf2 signaling and suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis.Journal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) was initially introduced as a treatment for mucus reduction and widely used for chronic respiratory conditions associated with mucus overproduction. However, the mechanism of action for NAC extends beyond its mucolytic activity and is complex and multifaceted. Contrary to other mucoactive drugs, NAC has been found to exhibit antioxidant, anti-infective, and anti-inflammatory activity in pre-clinical and clinical reports. These properties have sparked interest in its potential for treating chronic lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis (BE), cystic fibrosis (CF), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which are associated with oxidative stress, increased levels of glutathione and inflammation. NAC's anti-inflammatory activity is noteworthy, and it is not solely secondary to its antioxidant capabilities. In ex vivo models of COPD exacerbation, the anti-inflammatory effects have been observed even at very low doses, especially with prolonged treatment. The mechanism involves the inhibition of the activation of NF-kB and neurokinin A production, resulting in a reduction in interleukin-6 production, a cytokine abundantly present in the sputum and breath condensate of patients with COPD and correlates with the number of exacerbations. The unique combination of mucolytic, antioxidant, anti-infective, and anti-inflammatory properties positions NAC as a safe, cost-effective, and efficacious therapy for a plethora of respiratory conditions.
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Registered trials
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.