Antioxidant Activity Of N-acetylcysteine Research Articles

EFFECT OF TRANSFERSOME FORMULATION ON THE STABILITY AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF N-ACETYLCYSTEINE IN ANTI-AGING CREAM

Objective: N-acetylcysteine is an antioxidant with thiol/sulfhydryl groups and is currently being developed as an active ingredient in anti-agingcreams. The study’s aim was to compare the stability and antioxidant activity of N-acetylcysteine in anti-aging creams formulated with and withouta transfersome carrier system.Methods: Stability was assessed by performing cycling, centrifugal, and accelerated stability tests. In addition, antioxidant activity was measuredby the DPPH method, and in vitro penetration was measured using Franz diffusion cells. The analysis of N-acetylcysteine was performed using highperformanceliquid chromatography with ultraviolet–visible detection at a wavelength of 214 nm and a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, injection volume of5 μL, and a mobile phase of phosphate buffer pH 3.0.Results: The N-acetylcysteine transfersome and non-transfersome cream preparations did not change color or show phase separation during thecycling and centrifugal tests. The N-acetylcysteine in the transfersome and non-transfersome cream preparations had strong antioxidant activity,with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of 26.90 μg/mL and 38.63 μg/mL, respectively. The in vitro penetration test using Franz diffusion cellsshowed that the cumulative amount of penetrated N-acetylcysteine was 7355.13 μg/cm2 (flux of 845.67 μg/cm2∙h) in the transfersome cream and4677.61 μg/cm2 (flux of 533.33 μg/cm2∙h) in the non-transfersome cream.Conclusion: The in vitro penetration test results showed that the transfersome formulations in creams were able to increase the cumulative amountand flux of penetrated N-acetylcysteine in anti-aging cream preparations relative to those not formulated with transfersome.

N-acetyl-cysteine in Schizophrenia: Potential Role on the Sensitive Cysteine Proteome.

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) has shown widespread utility in different psychiatric disorders, including a beneficial role in schizophrenic patients. Although the replenishment of glutathione and the antioxidant activity of NAC have been suggested as the mechanisms that improve such a wide range of disorders, none seems to be sufficiently specific to explain these intriguing effects. A sensitive cysteine proteome is emerging as a functional and structural network of interconnected Sensitive Cysteine-containing Proteins (SCCPs) that together with reactive species and the cysteine/ glutathione cycles can regulate the bioenergetic metabolism, the redox homeostasis and the cellular growth, differentiation and survival, acting through different pathways that are regulated by the same thiol radical in cysteine residues. Since this sensitive cysteine network has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, I have reviewed if the proteins that play a role in schizophrenia can be classified as SCCPs. The results show that the principal proteins playing a role in schizophrenia can be classified as SCCPs, suggesting that the sensitive cysteine proteome (cysteinet) is defective in this type of psychosis. The present review proposes that there is a deregulation of the sensitive cysteine proteome in schizophrenia as the consequence of a functional imbalance among different SCCPs, which play different functions in neurons and glial cells. In this context, the role of NAC to restore and prevent schizophrenic disorders is discussed.

N-acetylcysteine alleviated bisphenol A-induced testicular DNA hypermethylation of rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) by increasing cysteine contents

Ubiquitous BPA exposure resulted in DNA methylation errors and oxidative stress. Numerous studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress can lead to changes in DNA methylation levels and supplementation with antioxidants, including N-acetylcysteine (NAC), was able to restore these changes. Our previous study supposed that BPA-induced de novo synthesis of glutathione (GSH) promoted DNA methylation process in Gobiocypris rarus testes. To validate this conjecture and explore the protective effects of NAC on BPA toxicity, the present study was carried out. Adult male G. rarus was treated with 225 μg L−1 BPA and/or NAC for 7 days. The sperm motility and DNA integrity of G. rarus were determined. Meanwhile, the levels of 5-methylcytosine (5mC), GSH, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), DNA methyltransferase proteins (DNMTs), γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase (GCS), S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), homocysteine (HCY), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and cysteine in the testes were detected. Furthermore, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured. Results indicated that NAC addition resulted in increase of cysteine contents and partially inhibited the BPA-induced DNA hypermethylation of G. rarus testes. In addition, the changes in DNA methylation levels in the testes after BPA and/or NAC treatment might be controlled by DNA methylation process that mediated by DNMTs. Moreover, BPA exposure caused oxidative stress in the testes and the elimination of H2O2 might be mainly accomplished by CAT while it changed to mainly through GPx after NAC supplement. Finally, the positive response of testicular antioxidant enzyme system and the antioxidant activity of NAC itself protected sperm motility and DNA integrity from oxidative damage in each group.

Hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of N-acetyl cysteine in carbamazepine-administered rats

Objectives:The present study evaluates the hepatoprotective activity of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) against carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced hepatotoxicity.Materials and Methods:Rats were treated with CBZ (50 mg/kg p.o.) and CBZ supplemented with NAC 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg for 45 days, after which blood samples were collected and subjected to liver function tests. Animals were killed, liver was separated, weighed and the levels of antioxidants and liver enzymes were estimated. In addition, histopathological investigation was also performed.Results:Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamate oxaloacetate (SGOT) transaminase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, lipid peroxidation, absolute and relative liver weights were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated, whereas serum levels of albumin, total protein and body weight were decreased in the CBZ-treated animals. CBZ also produced vacuolar degeneration, centrilobular congestion and hepatic necrosis as evidenced from histopathological report. NAC significantly reduced the levels of serum transaminase, ALP, bilirubin and liver weight and increased the levels of total protein, albumin and body weight.Conclusion:It was observed that NAC increased the glutathione (GSH) content, reduced lipid peroxidation and reversed the CBZ-induced histopathological abnormalities. CBZ-induced hepatotoxicity may be due its toxic epoxide metabolite-induced oxidative stress.

A cautionary note on using N-acetylcysteine as an antagonist to assess isothiocyanate-induced reactive oxygen species-mediated apoptosis

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) has been widely used in cell culture-based studies for the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in apoptosis induction by isothiocyanates (ITCs). Here we have demonstrated, using [ 14C]phenethyl ITC and [ 14C]sulforaphane, that NAC pretreatment significantly reduces ITC cellular uptake by conjugating with ITCs in the medium, suggesting that reduced uptake of ITCs, rather than the antioxidant activity of NAC itself, is responsible for the diminished downstream apoptotic effects. The study provides a cautionary note on the assay in studying mechanisms of apoptosis by ITCs and other electrophilic and thiol-reactive compounds.