N-acetylcysteine is a chemical compound derived from N-acetyl and a prodrug of the endogenous amino acid L-cysteine. It occurs as a fine white powder.

What it is used for and where

It has long been used as an adjuvant in bronchitis in the role of fluidifying agent and expectorant of excessive mucus and also to counteract the toxicity of certain components such as doxorubicin, paracetamol, acute respiratory distress syndrome.

It is included in many dietary supplement formulas for its proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory role with the ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and cell membrane.

It can be considered of great value in therapies to counter neurodegenerative and mental health diseases. Furthermore, this compound has been evaluated for its neuroprotective potential in the prevention of cognitive ageing dementia (1).

N-acetylcysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid compound that has been tested for its protective potential in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury (2).

Overall N-acetylcysteine is easily absorbed into the human body and it is safe at doses of up to 300mg per kg body weight (3) however, there are documented risks if administered intravenously (4).

N-acetylcysteine insights

Typical optimal characteristics of the commercial product N-acetylcysteine

• Molecular Formula : C₅H₉NO₃S
• Linear Formula HSCH₂CH(NHCOCH₃)CO₂H
• Molecular Weight: 163.2 g/mol
• CAS: 616-91-1
• EC Number: 210-498-3
• UNII WYQ7N0BPYC
• InChI=1S/C5H9NO3S/c1-3(7)6-4(2-10)5(8)9/h4,10H,2H2,1H3,(H,6,7)(H,8,9)/t4-/m0/s1
• InChl Key      PWKSKIMOESPYIA-BYPYZUCNSA-N
• SMILES    CC(=O)NC(CS)C(=O)O
• IUPAC   (2R)-2-acetamido-3-sulfanylpropanoic acid
• ChEBI 28939
• DSSTox Substance ID: DTXSID5020021
• MDL number  MFCD00004880 
• PubChem Substance ID  329748885
• NACRES NA.24

Synonyms: 

• (2R)-2-acetamido-3-sulfanylpropanoic acid
• NAC
• LAC
• acetylcysteine

References_________________________________________________________

(1) Tardiolo G, Bramanti P, Mazzon E. Overview on the Effects of N-Acetylcysteine in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Molecules. 2018;23(12):3305. Published 2018 Dec 13. doi:10.3390/molecules23123305

(2) Bartekova M, Barancik M, Ferenczyova K, Dhalla NS. Beneficial Effects of N-acetylcysteine and N-mercaptopropionylglycine on Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in the Heart. Curr Med Chem. 2018;25(3):355–366. doi:10.2174/0929867324666170608111917

(3) Hołyńska-Iwan I, Wróblewski M, Olszewska-Słonina D, Tyrakowski T. Zastosowanie N-acetylocysteiny do optymalizacji specyficznych terapii farmakologicznych [The application of N-acetylcysteine in optimization of specific pharmacological therapies]. Pol Merkur Lekarski.

(4) Dodd S, Dean O, Copolov DL, Malhi GS, Berk M. N-acetylcysteine for antioxidant therapy: pharmacology and clinical utility. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2008;8(12):1955–1962. doi:10.1517/14728220802517901