The effect of N-acetylcysteine in combination with vitamin C on the activity of ornithine decarboxylase of lung carcinoma cells--In vitro

Development of a microparticulate system containing Brazilian propolis by-product and gelatine for ascorbic acid delivery: evaluation of intestinal cell viability and radical scavenging activity

The use of propolis by-product (PBP) microparticles (MP) as delivery systems can be a promising tool to surpass drawbacks related to low stability of ascorbic acid (AA).

Molecular analysis of the inhibitory effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine on the proliferation and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells

Preliminary studies have suggested that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) may be effective in inhibiting the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. In-depth cellular and molecular analyses were carried out to determine NAC's mode of action in inhibiting the growth of a well-characterized pancreatic cancer cell line (AsPC-1). Standardized assays were used to monitor cellular growth, apoptosis, levels of ROS, cellular senescence, migration, and invasiveness. Cell stiffness was measured using atomic force microscopy. Gene expression was monitored by quantitative PCR. NAC significantly inhibits the growth and metastatic potential of AsPC-1 cells by inducing cell-cycle arrest in G1 and subsequent cellular senescence and decreased invasiveness. These anticancer properties are associated with an unexpected increase in the intracellular concentrations of ROS. NAC does not decrease the susceptibility of AsPC-1 cells to the anticancer drugs gemcitabine, mitomycin C, and doxorubicin. NAC-induced changes in gene expression are consistent with the onset of mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. In conclusion, our findings indicate that NAC induces an integrated series of responses in AsPC-1 cells that make it a highly promising candidate for development as a pancreatic cancer therapeutic.

N-Acetylcysteine enhances the lung cancer inhibitory effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate and forms a new adduct

The major tea polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), inhibits carcinogenesis in many in vivo models. Many potential mechanisms of action have been proposed based on cell line studies, including prooxidant activity. In the present study, we studied the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the inhibitory effects of EGCG on lung cancer cell growth. We found that NAC (0-2 mM) dose dependently enhanced the growth inhibitory activity of EGCG against murine and human lung cancer cells. The combination of NAC and EGCG caused an 8.8-fold increase in apoptosis in CL13 mouse lung cancer cells compared to treatment with either agent alone. Addition of 2 mM NAC increased the stability of EGCG in the presence of CL13 cells (t 1/2=8.5 h vs 22.7 h). Intracellular levels of EGCG were increased 5.5-fold by the addition of 2 mM NAC. HPLC and LC-MS analyses of cell culture medium from CL13 cells treated with EGCG and NAC for 24 h revealed that EGCG-2'-NAC was time dependently formed. This adduct was not formed in the absence of NAC. The present results show that under cell culture conditions, EGCG and NAC interact to form a previously unreported adduct, EGCG-2'-NAC, which may contribute to enhancement of EGCG-mediated cell killing.