Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Institute for Healthy Aging, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX.
Basic Medical Science, School of Osteopathic Medicine Arizona, A.T. Still University, Mesa, AZ.
J Nutr. 2019 Mar 1;149(3):463-470. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxy287.
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a thiolic antioxidant that is thought to increase cellular glutathione (GSH) by augmenting the concentration of available cysteine, an essential precursor to GSH production. Manipulating redox status can affect brain function, and NAC intake has been associated with improving brain function in models of neurodegenerative diseases.
The objective of the study was to determine if short-term dietary supplementation with NAC could ameliorate functional impairment associated with aging.
C57BL/6J male mice aged 6, 12, or 24 mo were fed a control diet or the control diet supplemented with 0.3% NAC for a total of 12 wk. After 4 wk of dietary supplementation, mice began a series of behavioral tests to measure spontaneous activity (locomotor activity test), psychomotor performance (bridge-walking and coordinated running), and cognitive capacity (Morris water maze and discriminated active avoidance). The performance of the mice on these tests was analyzed through the use of analyses of variance with Age and Diet as factors.
Supplementation of NAC improved peak motor performance in a coordinated running task by 14% (P < 0.05), and increased the time spent around the platform by 24% in a Morris water maze at age 6 mo. However, the supplementation had no to minimal effect on the motor and cognitive functions of 12- and 24-mo-old mice.
The findings of this preclinical study support the claim that NAC has nootropic properties in 6-mo-old mice, but suggest that it may not be useful for improving motor and cognitive impairments in older mice.
N-乙酰半胱氨酸（NAC）是一种含巯基的抗氧化剂，被认为通过增加半胱氨酸的浓度来增加细胞内谷胱甘肽（GSH），半胱氨酸是 GSH 产生的必需前体。调节氧化还原状态可以影响大脑功能，NAC 的摄入与改善神经退行性疾病模型中的大脑功能有关。
本研究的目的是确定短期 NAC 饮食补充是否可以改善与衰老相关的功能障碍。
6、12 或 24 月龄的 C57BL/6J 雄性小鼠喂食对照饮食或对照饮食补充 0.3% NAC，共 12 周。在进行 4 周的饮食补充后，小鼠开始进行一系列行为测试，以测量自发活动（运动活性测试）、精神运动表现（走桥和协调跑步）和认知能力（Morris 水迷宫和辨别主动回避）。使用方差分析对小鼠在这些测试中的表现进行分析，年龄和饮食为因素。
NAC 补充提高了协调跑步任务中的峰值运动表现 14%（P < 0.05），并增加了 6 月龄小鼠在 Morris 水迷宫中寻找平台的时间 24%。然而，补充对 12 月龄和 24 月龄小鼠的运动和认知功能没有影响或影响很小。
这项临床前研究的结果支持 NAC 在 6 月龄小鼠中具有益智特性的说法，但表明它可能对改善老年小鼠的运动和认知障碍没有用处。
