N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury: Perspectives and Limitations

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can take part in the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases because of the potent mucolytic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of NAC. However, less is known about its use in the treatment of acute lung injury. Nowadays, an increasing number of studies indicates that early administration of NAC may reduce markers of oxidative stress and alleviate inflammation in animal models of acute lung injury (ALI) and in patients suffering from distinct forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or pulmonary infections including community-acquired pneumonia or Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19. Besides low costs, easy accessibility, low toxicity, and rare side effects, NAC can also be combined with other drugs. This article provides a review of knowledge on the mechanisms of inflammation and oxidative stress in various forms of ALI/ARDS and critically discusses experience with the use of NAC in these disorders. For preparing the review, articles published in the English language from the PubMed database were used.