Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies
| Authors (year) (Ref.) | Study type (RCT) | Sample size | Age (years) | Treatment protocol | Included criteria | Follow-up time | Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
| NAC | Control | NAC | Control | NAC | Control | |||||
| Oral NAC | ||||||||||
| Ahmadi et al (2017) [21] | Parallel | 26 | 21 | 57.5±13.3 | 59.1±12.7 | Oral NAC 1,200 mg twice/day | N/A* | ESRD | 12 weeks | eGFR, Kt/V, 24-hour urine volume |
| Bashardoust et al (2018) [22] | Parallel | 26 | 25 | 65.5±11.05 | 62.76±14.47 | Oral NAC 1,200 mg/day | Placebo capsules | ESRD | 4 weeks | Hb, Ferritin, hs-CRP, ALP, P, Ca, AE |
| Friedman et al (2003) [23] | Parallel | 18 | 17 | 68±3 | 70±4 | Oral NAC 1,200 mg twice/day | Placebo capsules | ESRD | 4 weeks | HCY, AE |
| Hashemi et al (2012) [24] | Parallel | 35 | 35 | 60.2±10.1 | 63.4±6.4 | Oral NAC 600 mg twice/day | N/A | DN | 2 months | 24-hour urine protein |
| Larki et al (2019) [25] | Parallel | 21 | 19 | 60.61±16.61 | 61.05±19.09 | Oral NAC 600 mg/12 hour | Placebo capsules | ESRD | 8 weeks | SCr, BUN, ALB, Hb, Ca, P, PTH, ESR, CRP, IL-6 |
| Moist et al (2010) [26] | Parallel | 30 | 30 | 68.6±12.5 | 71.6±9.1 | Oral NAC 1,200 mg/12 hour | Placebo capsules | CCR 30-60 mL/min | 2 days | SCr, eGFR, 24-hour urine protein, CysC |
| Purwanto et al (2012) [27] | Parallel | 16 | 16 | 45.79±7.59 | 42.54±6.79 | Oral NAC 600 mg twice/day | Placebo capsules | ESRD | 8 weeks | PCT, TNF-α, hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-1 |
| Renke et al (2010) [28] | Cross-over | 19 | 19 | N/A | N/A | Oral NAC 1,200 mg/day | Placebo capsules | non-DN | 8 weeks | SCr, eGFR, 24-hour urine protein, HCY, Blood pressure, AE |
| Tepel et al (2003) [29] | Parallel | 64 | 70 | 63±14 | 62±18 | Oral NAC 600 mg twice/day | Placebo capsules | ESRD | 2 years | cardiac events, ischemic stroke, total mortality, AE |
| Vural et al (2018) [30] | Parallel | 23 | 17 | 46±15 | 49±13 | Oral NAC 600 mg twice/day | Placebo capsules | ESRD | 54 weeks | TNF-α, IL-6 |
| IVdrop NAC | ||||||||||
| Perna et al (2012) [31] | Parallel | 47 | 48 | 65.8±1.83 | 58.5±2.70 | IV NAC 5 g in 5% glucose, MTHF | 5% glucose solution alone | ESRD | 10 dialysis sessions | HCY, AE |
| Scholze et al (2004) [32] | Cross-over | 20 | 20 | N/A | N/A | IV NAC 5 g in 5% glucose | 5% glucose solution alone | ESRD | one dialysis sessions | HCY, BP |
| Thaha et al (2006) [33] | Parallel | 30 | 30 | 48.1±11.08 | 52.6±10.3 | IV NAC 5 g in 5% glucose | 5% glucose solution alone | ESRD | one dialysis sessions | HCY, BP, AE |
| Thaha et al (2008) [34] | Parallel | 20 | 20 | 44.8±12.7 | 45.8±11.05 | IV NAC 5 g in 5% glucose | 5% glucose solution alone | ESRD | one dialysis sessions | AE |
| Tsai et al (2010) [35] | Parallel | 22 | 21 | 56.45±15.67 | 55.05±14.87 | IV NAC 5 g in normal saline 250 mL | normal saline 250 mL | ESRD | one dialysis sessions | HCY, TNF-α, hs-CRP |
Note: AE, adverse events; ALB, albumin; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; BP, blood pressure; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; Ca, calcium; CAPD, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis; CCR, endogenous creatinine clearance; CKD, chronic kidney disease; CRP, C-reactive protein; CysC, serum cystatin C; DN, diabetic nephropathy; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; ESRD, end-stage renal disease; Hb, hemoglobin; HCY, homocysteine; hs-CRP, high sensitivity C reactive protein; IL, interleukin; IVdrop, intravenous drop infusion; MTHF, Methylfolate; NAC, N-acetylcysteine; P, phosphorus; PCT, procalcitonin; PTH, parathyroid hormone; RCT, randomized controlled trials; SCr, serum creatinine; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α;
N/A, No data provided.