NAC

links: Nootropics reference: One Type Of Antioxidant May Not Be As Safe As Once Thought

• NAC, NAC, Knockin’ on Heaven’s door: Interpreting the mechanism of action of N-acetylcysteine in tumor and immune cells 4-13-2021

NAC (N-acetylcysteine) #

Both NAC and NACET smell fucking terrible. Maybe glutathione is a good compromise. Probably safe. It can be undesirable due to cysteine content, but NACET fixes that.

• Direct antioxidant: eliminates free radicals, and in excess, tells the body to lower natural antioxidant production. Antioxidant

• Lowers DAO by quite a bit.

• Taking with Glycine boosts its effectiveness by like 3x.

• Conversion into Cystine lets it serve as a substrate for astrocytic cystine-glutamate antiporter, increasing extracellular glutamate and agomizing mGluR2/mGluR3, and mGluR5 in high doses.

• Comes from the amino acid L-cysteine

• Effects of N-acetylcysteine on brain glutamate levels and resting perfusion in schizophrenia

  • Via Glutathione and mGluR2/mGluR3.
  • Lowers Glutamate in the striatum, thus probably dopamine?. Some say this cures OCD-like symptoms and addiction

• Benefits demonstrated for many mental disorders, hangovers, OCD, tinnitus, addiction.

• Reduced acne lesion count by 50% @ 2x600mg daily for 8 weeks. Glutathione brightens skin, both topical or oral.

• Can help with HPPD

• Stacks well with racetams/bromantane

• Activation of PPARγ reduces N-acetyl-cysteine -induced hypercorticoidism by down-regulating MC2R expression into adrenal glands

• Antioxidant Treatment Induces Hyperactivation of the HPA Axis by Upregulating ACTH Receptor in the Adrenal and Downregulating Glucocorticoid Receptors in the Pituitary

  • NAC decreased Heme Oxygenase-1 and NRF2 expression in the pituitary, increased plasma Corticosterone levels (so did Vitamin E) and intensified MC2R and StAR expression in the adrenal.

Deferoxamine #

• Effect of N-acetylcysteine and/or deferoxamine on oxidative stress and hyperactivity in an animal model of mania (2008)
  • Dextroamphetamine administration is an animal model of mania (and induces oxidative stress). Protein carbonylation is a measure of oxidative stress.
  • ‘Rearing’ is when rats stand up on their hind legs to check it out; exploratory. Crossing is just locomotor.
  • Neither reversed nor prevented the hyperactivity, unlike other studies/models where NAC prevented meth-induced hyperlocomotion. The changes in protein carbonylation are quite interesting though:

    • Synergist effects of n-acetylcysteine and deferoxamine treatment on behavioral and oxidative parameters induced by chronic mild stress in rats (2012) #

Antibacterial/Antifungal #

• Apparenly the thiol group in NAC opens disulfide linkages in mucus, lowering the viscosity.
• Novel synergistic antibiofilm combinations for salvage of infected catheters
  • A catheter is some kind of tube that you insert into the body, during surgery or other advanced procedures it seems. NAC is equally as effective as EDTA.
• Fungistatic Action of N-Acetylcysteine on Candida albicans Biofilms and Its Interaction with Antifungal Agents
  • 25mg/mL MIC - but 12.5 increased the fungal viability.
  • The biofilm of candida, and I’m sure everything is, is some kind of polysaccharide, as well as proteins, lipids, extracellular DNA, and β-Glucans.
• According to Mayoclinic, it should be something like 3-5mL of 20% solution multiple times a day. 3mL of that is 600mg! Such clinical formulations also use disodium edetate for saline, and NaOH or Hcl as a base, to bring it to 6.0-7.5. You must also hork it out all the bronchial secretions.

Supplementation #

600mg max for chronic use, but 1800+ is used for certain conditions.

• Solubility is 200mg/mL in water. 95% loss at 6 months R
  • The NAC I got from Mnemonic in June 2022 is 10%. So a mere 10mg/spray. But who knows, maybe that’s a lot for intranasal.

NACET #

Pretty sure it tastes and smells like death and makes you smell terrible.

• $40 for 5g.
  • Rapidly absorbs and reaches low plasma concentrations, since it rapidly enters the cells, being transformed into NAC and Cysteine. Significantly increases the Glutathione of most tissues examined including the brain.
• Increases circulating hydroegn sulfide.
• Decreases Slow-wave sleep, and increases REM if taken late. Knocks you out.
• Can make you prone to overheating.