Devangi Zala¹*, Debabrata Sarkar² and Ronak Chhaya²

¹QA/RA Department, BioAni India Pvt. Ltd., India
²Research and Development Division, BioAni India Pvt. Ltd., India

*Corresponding Author: Devangi Zala, QA/RA Department, BioAni India Pvt. Ltd., Lilapur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Received: July 27, 2026; Published: September 07, 2026

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is a synthetic derivative of the sulfur-containing amino acid L-cysteine that has been widely used as a mucolytic agent and as the standard antidote for acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. In recent years, its therapeutic potential has expanded considerably because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties. The primary mechanism of NAC involves replenishing intracellular glutathione (GSH), the body’s major endogenous antioxidant, thereby restoring cellular redox balance and protecting tissues against oxidative stress. In addition to enhancing GSH synthesis, NAC directly scavenges selected reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, reduces disulfide bonds within mucin glycoproteins to improve mucus clearance, preserves mitochondrial function, and modulates redox-sensitive signaling pathways involved in inflammation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the chemistry, physicochemical properties, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and molecular mechanisms of NAC, with particular emphasis on its role in maintaining lung and liver health. The review also discusses the relationship between oxidative stress and the pathogenesis of respiratory and hepatic diseases, highlighting how NAC prevent oxidative damage through multiple complementary mechanisms. Current evidence supporting the therapeutic use of NAC in chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, and cystic fibrosis, as well as in liver disorders such as acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, and drug-induced liver injury, is summarized. Furthermore, the safety profile, clinical limitations, and future therapeutic prospects of NAC are discussed.

Keywords: N-Acetylcysteine; Glutathione; Oxidative Stress; Antioxidant; Lung Disease; Liver Disease; Mucolytic Agent; Reactive Oxygen Species

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Citation

Citation: Devangi Zala., et al. “N-Acetylcysteine in Lung and Liver Health: A Comprehensive Review". Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 10.9 (2026): 65-75.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Devangi Zala., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.