Effect of Oral N-Acetylcysteine Supplementation on the Immunity System in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND

inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis play important roles after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) event. The most studied inflammatory biomarker in cardiovascular disease is C-reactive protein (CRP). It has been demonstrated that myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Galectin-3 (Gal-3) have some essential roles on immune system when an AMI event occurs. We aimed to determine the effect of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation at the dose of 600 mg 3 times daily for 3 consecutive days on the immune system of AMI patients.

METHODS

our randomized single-blinded experimental study using pre- and post-treatment evaluations was performed at Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Indonesia, from May to August 2018. Thirty-two patients with AMI and ST segment elevation (STEMI) who received fibrinolytic therapy were included. There were 17 patients received standard therapy plus 600 mg oral NAC supplementation every 8 h for 3 days and 15 patients received standard therapy, which served as the control group. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP), MPO, and Gal-3 levels of both groups were evaluated at admission and after 72 h receiving treatment.

RESULTS

HsCRP, MPO, and Gal-3 levels between NAC and control groups at admission were not significantly different; while intergroup differences after 72 h of NAC supplementation were significant (p values of HsCRP, MPO, and Gal-3 levels were 0.0001, 0.001, and 0.017, respectively). Furthermore, in the NAC group, HsCRP, MPO, and Gal-3 levels at 72 h after treatment were significantly different from the corresponding levels at admission (p values: 0.0001, 0.0001, and 0.0001, respectively); the control group did not show these differences. There were also significant intergroup differences between the NAC and control groups regarding HsCRP, MPO, and Gal-3 levels (p values: 0.011, 0.022, and 0.014, respectively).

CONCLUSION

oral supplementation of 600 mg NAC every 8 h for 72 h can reduce HsCRP, MPO, and Gal-3 levels in AMI patients receiving fibrinolytic therapy. Results of our study will provide more options for supplementation therapy to improve management of IMA patients.