NAC N Acetyl Cysteine

About NAC N Acetyl Cysteine

N acetylcysteine, or NAC, is the N acetyl derivative of the amino acid cysteine. It is a precursor of glutathione, the main intracellular antioxidant, and its free thiol group can break disulfide bonds. NAC was introduced as a medicine in the 1960s and is on the World Health Organization List of Essential Medicines. Hospitals use it as the standard antidote for paracetamol, or acetaminophen, overdose, where it replenishes glutathione so the liver can neutralize the toxic metabolite NAPQI. It is also used as a mucolytic to thin thick mucus. Because it influences glutathione and glutamate signaling in the brain, NAC has been studied as an add on treatment in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, trichotillomania, and substance use disorders, with mixed results. In the United States its status as a dietary supplement has been disputed because it was first approved as a drug. NAC has a sulfurous odor, can cause nausea, and can intensify the blood pressure lowering effect of nitroglycerin.