N-acetylcysteine in Psychiatric Disorders: Possible Role of Cysteinet Deregulation
Marcos Arturo Martínez-Banaclocha *
Department of Pathology, Hospital Lluis Alcanyis Xátiva, Valencia, Spain
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In the last years, several clinical studies have shown the usefulness of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in psychiatric diseases including a role in some drug abuse disorders. Although the glutathione replenishment and the antioxidant activity of NAC have been suggested as the principal mechanisms to improve such a wide range of conditions, these actions seem to be unspecific and insufficient to explain all reported effects. The present paper proposes that cysteinet (cysteine network) may be deregulated in psychiatric diseases explaining the wide-range beneficial actions of NAC supplementation.
Keywords: N-acetylcysteine, cysteine, psychiatric diseases, psychosis, diabetes, cysteinet