Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.
Br J Pharmacol. 2021 Jul;178(13):2569-2594. doi: 10.1111/bph.15456. Epub 2021 May 5.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a well-known and safe mucolytic agent, also used in patients with paracetamol overdose. In addition to these effects, recent preclinical and clinical studies have shown that NAC exerts beneficial effects on different psychiatric disorders. Many potential mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the therapeutic effects of NAC, including the regulation of several neurotransmitters, oxidative homeostasis, and inflammatory mediators. In this paper, we summarize the current knowledge on the ability of NAC to ameliorate symptoms and neuropathologies related to different psychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive-compulsive-related disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia. Although preclinical studies have shown a positive effect of NAC on animal models of psychiatric disorders, the clinical efficacy of NAC is not fully established. NAC remains a strong candidate for adjunct treatment for many psychiatric disorders, but additional preclinical and clinical studies are needed.
N-乙酰半胱氨酸（NAC）是一种众所周知且安全的黏液溶解剂，也用于对乙酰氨基酚过量的患者。除了这些作用外，最近的临床前和临床研究表明，NAC 对不同的精神疾病有有益的作用。许多潜在的机制被提出来解释 NAC 的治疗作用，包括调节几种神经递质、氧化平衡和炎症介质。在本文中，我们总结了目前关于 NAC 减轻与不同精神疾病相关的症状和神经病理学的能力的知识，包括注意缺陷多动障碍、焦虑症、双相情感障碍、抑郁症、强迫症、强迫相关障碍、创伤后应激障碍和精神分裂症。尽管临床前研究表明 NAC 对精神疾病的动物模型有积极的影响，但 NAC 的临床疗效尚未完全确定。NAC 仍然是许多精神疾病的辅助治疗的有力候选药物，但还需要更多的临床前和临床研究。
