Glutathione repletion
- Supplies cysteine — the rate-limiting precursor for glutathione synthesis
- Restores glutathione conjugation of reactive metabolites → hepatoprotection
- ➔ effectiveness falls sharply the longer treatment is delayed
- Also acts as a mucolytic by cleaving disulfide bonds in mucus
- ➔ ⚑ a separate mechanism from glutathione repletion
Drugs with this mechanism (2)
- Acetylcysteine — Glutathione precursor and mucolytic; the antidote for acetaminophen poisoning.
- N-acetylcysteine (NAC) — Glutathione precursor; the antidote for acetaminophen overdose, also a mucolytic.
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