N-acetylcysteine effective in reducing antimicrobials induced nephrotoxicity: Study

A new study published in the journal of BMC Nephrology showed that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been linked to a reduction in nephrotoxicity brought on by antibiotics.

In clinical practice, antimicrobials are frequently used to treat a variety of infectious disorders. According to the recommendations, patient survival can be increased by 7.6% with timely diagnosis (within an hour) and timely administration of effective antimicrobials. However, there is a chance that using antimicrobials might have negative side effects, such as nephrotoxicity. And, nephrotoxicity brought on by antibiotics may cause acute kidney damage (AKI), extended hospital stays, and increased medical expenses.

Numerous antibiotic classes have been shown to have the capacity to cause nephrotoxicity. These consist of beta-lactams, vancomycin, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides. A commonly recommended antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has shown positive renoprotective effects in a number of studies.

In both clinical and experimental animal models, NAC has been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, enhance kidney function, and guard against nephrotoxic damage. The lack of randomized clinical studies makes it difficult to assess NAC's effectiveness in patients receiving antibiotics, even if it may lower the frequency of AKI in patients undergoing heart surgery and contrast delivery. This study evaluated effectiveness of NAC in avoiding nephrotoxicity caused by antibiotics.