Journal Article Review Epublish
PubMed: 40141299 DOI: 10.3390/ijms26062657
N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury: Perspectives and Limitations.
Int J Mol Sci 26(6)
Authors: Daniela Mokra, Igor Porvaznik, Juraj Mokry
Affiliations
- Department of Physiology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, SK-03601 Martin, Slovakia.
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Catholic University in Ružomberok, SK-03401 Ružomberok, Slovakia.
- Department of Pharmacology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, SK-03601 Martin, Slovakia.
Abstract
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can take part in the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases because of the potent mucolytic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of NAC. However, less is known about its use in the treatment of acute lung injury. Nowadays, an increasing number of studies indicates that early administration of NAC may reduce markers of oxidative stress and alleviate inflammation in animal models of acute lung injury (ALI) and in patients suffering from distinct forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or pulmonary infections including community-acquired pneumonia or Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19. Besides low costs, easy accessibility, low toxicity, and rare side effects, NAC can also be combined with other drugs. This article provides a review of knowledge on the mechanisms of inflammation and oxidative stress in various forms of ALI/ARDS and critically discusses experience with the use of NAC in these disorders. For preparing the review, articles published in the English language from the PubMed database were used.
MeSH
Lung, Acute Lung Injury, Acetylcysteine, Stress, Physiological, Lung Injury, Oxidative Stress, Therapeutics