N‐Acetylcysteine improves microcirculatory flow during smoking: New effects of an old drug with possible benefits for smokers

• Published in: Clinical cardiology (Mahwah, N.J.) Vol. 24; no. 7; pp. 511 - 515
• Main Authors: Lu, Qing, Björkhem, Ingemar, Xiu, R.‐J., Henrksson, Peter, Freyschuss, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01.07.2001; Wiley
• Subjects: Acetylcysteine - pharmacology; Adult; antioxidant; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Flow Velocity - drug effects; capillary blood flow velocity; Case-Control Studies; Clinical Investigation; Clinical Investigations; endothelium; Female; General and cellular metabolism. Vitamins; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; microcirculation; Microcirculation - drug effects; Microscopic Angioscopy; N‐acetylcysteine; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; smoking; Smoking - physiopathology; Human; Microcirculation; Toxicology; Thiol; Tobacco smoking; Acetylcysteine; Circulatory velocity; Blood capillary; Antioxidant; Biological activity; Endothelium
• ISSN: 0160-9289; 1932-8737
• DOI: 10.1002/clc.4960240719

Background: Cigarette smoking provokes marked acute changes in the microcirculatory vasculature, including a reduced blood flow velocity. in accordance with the hypothesis that the reduced blood flow is due to an imbalance between pro‐oxidants and oxidants, we recently showed that most of the reduction could be reversed by a high dose of vitamin C. Hypothesis: in the present work we tested the hypothesis that N‐acetylcysteine, a mucolyticum and an antioxidant, may have an effect on the smoking‐induced changes observed by vital capillary microscopy of the nailfold. Methods: in all, 37 healthy volunteers of both genders and with varied smoking habits were treated with N‐acetylcysteine 200 mg t.i.d. for 2 weeks. in vivo investigation of the microcirculation by capillaroscopy was performed before and after treatment. Results: Treatment with N‐acetylcysteine significantly reduced the smoking‐induced relative decrease in capillary blood flow velocity in a group of volunteers with varied smoking habits (p=0.0016). The preventive effect was clearly significant in smokers (p=0.003). Conclusion: Treatment with N‐acetylcysteine has a positive impact on microcirculatory flow during smoking, particularly in habitual smokers.