Medical and dietary uses of N-acetylcysteine

Šalamon, Špela (author), Kramar, Barbara (author), Pirc Marolt, Tinkara (author), Poljšak, Borut (author), Milisav, Irina (author)

N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a plant antioxidant naturally found in onion, is a precursor to glutathione. It has been used as a drug since the 1960s and is listed on the World Health Organization (WHO) Model List of Essential Medicines as an antidote in poisonings. There are numerous other uses or proposed uses in medicine that are still in preclinical and clinical investigations. NAC is also used in food supplements and cosmetics. Despite its abundant use, there are projections that the NAC global market will grow in the next five years; therefore, the purpose of this work is to provide a balanced view of further uses of NAC as a dietary supplement. Although NAC is considered a safe substance, the results among clinical trials are sometimes controversial or incomplete, like for many other antioxidants. More clinical trials are underway that will improve our understanding of NAC applicability.

• Language: English
• Keywords: N-acetylcysteine, acetylcysteine, pharmacology, physiology, dietary supplements, aging, sports
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine; ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2019
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 5, art. 111
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-132327
• UDC: 615.2:613.2
• ISSN on article: 2076-3921
• DOI: 10.3390/antiox8050111
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5617515
• Publication date in RUL: 21.10.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Antioxidants
• Shortened title: Antioxidants
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-3921
• COBISS.SI-ID: 522976025

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.05.2019