Potential role ofN-acetylcysteine in cardiovascular disorders

Cardiovascular disorders are a common cause of mortality around the world. The role of antioxidants is controversial in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of cardiovascular events. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant that is believed to have an adjunctive beneficial effect in different medical conditions. We investigated all of the cardiovascular disorders for which NAC was administered in order to find its possible advantageous impact. We included clinical trials that were conducted in patients with heart failure, myocardial infarction, hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease or those who underwent cardiothoracic surgery. However, to date there is no comprehensive review on the potential impact of NAC in cardiovascular disorders. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature search in MEDLINE/PubMed. A search strategy using medical subject headings and text keywords such as ‘N-acetylcysteine’, ‘cardiology’, ‘cardiac’, ‘acute care’, ‘cardiovascular’, ‘cardiothoracic’, ‘hea...