Antigenotoxic and Cancer Preventive Mechanisms of N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine

The aminothiol N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) is an analog and precursor of reduced glutathione (GSH). During the last four decades, it has been extensively used as a mucolytic agent. In addition, because of its multiple protective mechanisms, NAC has been proposed for a broad array of applications, both preventive and therapeutic. The scientific community has a continuously growing interest in this molecule, which is being used with increasing frequency in both clinical investigations and experimental studies. As of February 1, 2002, a total of 5153 scientific papers were available in MEDLINE under the query term “acetylcysteine,” with an impressive growth during the last 10 years. In one month alone (January 2002), 134 new papers were added to this database.