N-acetylcysteine, reactive oxygen species and beyond.

摘要

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), produced primarily in cells as a by-product of normal metabolism by the mitochondria, have long been implicated in induction of apoptosis. Accordingly, the most abundant non-protein thiol, glutathione (GSH), plays an important role in the regulation of apoptosis due to its role as a substrate of ROS scavenging enzymes. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an aminothiol and synthetic precursor of intracellular cysteine and GSH and is thus considered an important antioxidant. NAC has been widely used as a research tool in the field of apoptosis research for investigating the role of ROS in induction of apoptosis.