Biological Activities and Potential Oral Applications of N-Acetylcysteine: Progress and Prospects.

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Pei Y, Liu H, Yang Y, Yang Y, Jiao Y, Tay FR, Chen J

Biological Activities and Potential Oral Applications of N-Acetylcysteine: Progress and Prospects.

Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018 Apr 22;2018:2835787. doi: 10.1155/2018/2835787. eCollection 2018.

PubMed ID
29849877 [ View in PubMed
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Abstract

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), a cysteine prodrug and glutathione (GSH) precursor, has been used for several decades in clinical therapeutic practices as a mucolytic agent and for the treatment of disorders associated with GSH deficiency. Other therapeutic activities of NAC include inhibition of inflammation/NF-kappaB signaling and expression of proinflammatory cytokines. N-Acetylcysteine is also a nonantibiotic compound possessing antimicrobial property and exerts anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects against certain types of cancer. Recently, studies describing potentially important biological and pharmacological activities of NAC have stimulated interests in using NAC-based therapeutics for oral health care. The present review focused on the biological activities of NAC and its potential oral applications. The potential side effects of NAC and formulations for drug delivery were also discussed, with the intent of advancing NAC-associated treatment modalities in oral medicine.

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