N-acetylcysteine and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate: immunomodulatory effects on mononuclear cell culture

introduction: sepsis is a complex syndrome caused by an uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response. inflammatory cytokines play a pivotal role in septic shock pathogenesis. therapeutic strategies have been tested in order to modulate the excessive generation or function of sepsis mediators. objective: the objective of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of n-acetylcysteine (nac) and its association with fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (fbp) on t-lymphocytes proliferation, interleukin-1β (il-1β) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (mcp-1) levels. material and methods: peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples were isolated from healthy individuals. t-lymphocytes were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin for 96 hours and submitted to different concentrations of nac or nac associated with fbp. results: nac (10 and 15 mm) and nac (15 mm) associated with fbp reduced t-lymphocytes proliferation. il-1β levels rose in the presence of both nac (15 mm) and nac with fbp (1.25 mm). mcp-1 levels were reduced only by nac (15 mm) associated with fbp (1.25 mm). conclusion: the results suggest that both nac itself and nac associated with fbp inhibit cellular proliferation, acting as potent immunomodulatory agents, which corroborates its use in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.