N-Acetyl-cysteine (NAC)
Information on nutritional supplements people with ALS have been taking
Effects on ALS[edit]
Treatment with the antioxidant NAC caused a significantly prolonged survival and delayed onset of motor impairment in G93A mice compared to control mice. [1]
The systematic administration of NAC to R6/2 mice suppressed the activation of AMPK-α1, reduced neuronal toxicity, which was assessed by the activation of caspases, increased neuronal density, ameliorated ventricle enlargement, and improved motor dysfunction. This beneficial effect of NAC in vivo appears to be direct because NAC also reduced the activation of AMPK-α1 and the death of STHdh(Q109) cells upon elevated oxidative stress. [2]
Main outcome measures were treatment effects on plasma Lp(a) and plasma amino thiols (homocysteine, cysteine and cysteinyl glycine). There was no significant effect on plasma Lp(a) levels. Plasma thiols were significantly reduced during treatment with NAC: homocysteine by 45% (P < 0.0001), cysteinyl glycine by 24% (P < 0.0001) and cysteine by 11% (P = 0.0002). The high dose of NAC was well tolerated. In conclusion NAC has no effect on plasma Lp(a) levels while the reduction in homocysteine is considerable and might be of clinical significance in cases with high plasma homocysteine levels. [3]
Research paper link collection[edit]
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Regulated pathways[edit]
- Suppresses AMPK-α1 activation.
References[edit]
- ↑ Andreassen et al.: N-acetyl-L-cysteine improves survival and preserves motor performance in an animal model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroreport 2000;11:2491-3. PMID: 10943709. Increasing evidence implicates oxidative damage as a major mechanism in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We examined the effect of preventative treatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), an agent that reduces free radical damage, in transgenic mice with a superoxide dismutase (SODI) mutation (G93A), used as an animal model of familial ALS. NAC was administered at 1% concentration in the drinking water from 4-5 weeks of age. The treatment caused a significantly prolonged survival and delayed onset of motor impairment in G93A mice treated with NAC compared to control mice. These results provide further evidence for the involvement of free radical damage in the G93A mice, and support the possibility that NAC, an over-the-counter antioxidant, could be explored in clinical trials for ALS.
- ↑ Ju et al.: AMPK-α1 functions downstream of oxidative stress to mediate neuronal atrophy in Huntington's disease. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 2014;1842:1668-80. PMID: 24946181. DOI. Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurological disorder that is induced by a CAG trinucleotide expansion in exon 1 of the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. We previously reported that the abnormal activation of an important energy sensor, AMP-activated protein kinase α1 (AMPK-α1), occurs in the brains of mice and patients with HD, which suggests that this abnormal activation may contribute to neuronal degeneration in HD. In the present study, we demonstrated that the elevated oxidative stress that was evoked by a polyQ-expanded mutant HTT (mHTT) caused the abnormal activation of AMPK-α1 and, subsequently, resulted in neurotoxicity in a striatal progenitor cell line (STHdh(Q109)) and in the striatum of a transgenic mouse model of HD (R6/2). The systematic administration of an antioxidant (N-acetyl-cysteine, NAC) to R6/2 mice suppressed the activation of AMPK-α1, reduced neuronal toxicity, which was assessed by the activation of caspases, increased neuronal density, ameliorated ventricle enlargement, and improved motor dysfunction. This beneficial effect of NAC in vivo appears to be direct because NAC also reduced the activation of AMPK-α1 and the death of STHdh(Q109) cells upon elevated oxidative stress. Moreover, the activation of AMPK enhanced the level of oxidative stress in STHdh(Q109) cells, in primary neurons of R6/2 mice, and in the striatum of two different HD mouse models (R6/2 and Hdh(150Q/+)), whereas the inhibition of AMPK reduced the level of oxidative stress. Collectively, our findings suggest that positive feedback regulation between the elevated oxidative stress and the activation of AMPK-α1 contributes to the progression of HD.
- ↑ Wiklund et al.: N-acetylcysteine treatment lowers plasma homocysteine but not serum lipoprotein(a) levels. Atherosclerosis 1996;119:99-106. PMID: 8929261. High levels of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) or homocysteine in plasma have both been associated with an increased risk for premature cardiovascular disease. For both components, the plasma levels are primarily genetically determined, and they have been very restintant to therapeutic approaches. It has been suggested that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) breaks disulphide bonds in Lp(a) as well as between homocysteine and plasma proteins. In the present study we analyze if this mechanism, in vivo, could be used to lower plasma concentrations of Lp(a) and homocysteine. Treatment with NAC and placebo was performed in a double blind cross over design with 2 weeks wash-out between treatments. Eleven subjects with high plasma Lp(a) (> 0.3 milligram) were recruited from the Lipid Clinic at Sahlgren's Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden. Main outcome measures were treatment effects on plasma Lp(a) and plasma amino thiols (homocysteine, cysteine and cysteinyl glycine). There was no significant effect on plasma Lp(a) levels. Plasma thiols were significantly reduced during treatment with NAC: homocysteine by 45% (P < 0.0001), cysteinyl glycine by 24% (P < 0.0001) and cysteine by 11% (P = 0.0002). The high dose of NAC was well tolerated. In conclusion NAC has no effect on plasma Lp(a) levels while the reduction in homocysteine is considerable and might be of clinical significance in cases with high plasma homocysteine levels.
