Tier 1 — highest

Effect of high-dose N-acetylcysteine on exacerbations and lung function in patients with mild-to-moderate COPD: a double-blind, parallel group, multicentre randomised clinical trial

Yumin Zhou, Fan Wu, Zhe Shi, Jie Cao, Jia Tian, Weimin Yao, Liping Wei, Fenglei Li, Shan Cai, Yao Shen, Zanfeng Wang, Huilan Zhang, Yanfan Chen, Yingyun Fu, Zhiyi He, Chun Chang, Yongliang Jiang, Shujing Chen, Changli Yang, Shuqing Yu, Heshen Tian, Qijian Cheng, Ziwen Zhao, Yinghua Ying, Yong Zhou, Shengming Liu, Zhishan Deng, Peiyu Huang, Yunzhen Zhang, Xiangwen Luo, Haiyan Zhao, Jianping Gui, Weiguang Lai, Guoping Hu, Cong Liu, Ling Su, Zhiguang Liu, Jianhui Huang, Dongxing Zhao, Nanshan Zhong, Pixin Ran, China N-acetylcysteine in Mild-to-moderate COPD Study Group
Nat Commun 2024 15(1):8468

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 39349461
PubMed Central
PMC11442465
DOI
10.1038/s41467-024-51079-1
Funding
Supported by Guangzhou Medical University, China's National Key Research and Development Program, Guangdong Pearl River Talents Program, Guangzhou National Laboratory, and the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease. The publication states the funders and Zhejiang Jinhua Pharmaceutical had no role in study design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, writing or publication.
Competing interests
The authors declared no competing interests.

Study snapshot

DesignLarge randomized placebo-controlled trial
ModelHuman
Sample968 patients with mild-to-moderate COPD
InterventionNAC 600 mg twice daily versus placebo
Duration2 years
EndpointsCOPD exacerbations; FEV1; Respiratory outcomes

What the study showed, in plain terms

Large contemporary two-year trial extending NAC research into mild-to-moderate COPD.

Key findings

Provides modern long-duration randomized evidence on exacerbations and lung-function outcomes in less severe COPD.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Clinical COPD population; results are not evidence for general wellness or athletic use.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology