Intravenous N-acetylcysteine with saline hydration improves renal function and ameliorates plasma total homocysteine in patients undergoing cardiac angiography.

Proinflammatory cytokines and hyperhomocysteinemia are associated with clinically relevant restenosis in coronary artery disease. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can decrease proinflammatory cytokines and plasma homocystine as well as reduce contrast-induced nephropathy. The aim of this study, therefore, was to compare normal saline hydration with and without intravenous NAC in terms of changes in renal function, proinflammatory cytokines, inflammatory markers, and plasma total homocysteine during coronary angiography. Forty-six patients who underwent coronary angiography and/or stent implantation for unstable angina were enrolled and assigned to NAC or NS treatment groups based on normal saline hydration with or without intravenous NAC, respectively. The NS group had lower serum creatinine (Cre: p = 0.02) and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy; p < 0.001) and increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR; p = 0.003) after angiography. In the NAC group, the serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN; p = 0.001), Cre (p < 0.001), and plasma tHcy (p < 0.001) were lower, and the GFR (P = 0.013) was increased after angiography. There were no statistically significant differences in serum high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), or interleukin-10 (IL-10) before and after angiography in the NS and NAC groups. Intergroup comparison revealed that plasma tHcy level was lower for the NAC-treated patients (p = 0.002), with lower plasma tHcy level before and after treatment in this group (p < 0.001). Normal saline hydration can improve renal function and decrease plasma tHcy after coronary angiography with or without NAC; however, the combination of the two decreases plasma tHcy more than normal saline hydration alone.