What is the Difference Between NAC and Glutathione

Thekey difference between NAC and glutathioneis that NAC is an immediate precursor for glutathione, whereas glutathione is an antioxidant compound that exists in plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and some archaea.

N-乙酰半胱氨酸或NAC是乙酰半胱氨酸的一种形式，被禁止在补充剂中使用。谷胱甘肽是一种抗氧化剂，存在于植物，动物，真菌，细菌和一些古细菌中。

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is NAC
3.What is Glutathione
4.NAC与谷胱甘肽的表格形式
5.Summary – NAC vs Glutathione

What is NAC?

N-acetylcysteine or NAC is a form ofacetylcysteine. It comes from the amino acid L-cysteine. There are many uses of NAC and it is approved by the FDA as a drug. Although some dietary supplements contain N-acetylcysteine, according to US FDA guidelines, it is illegal for dietary supplements to contain this product. This is because N-acetylcysteine is actually an approved drug. But you can obtain prescription N-acetyl cysteine products under the guidance of healthcare providers.

作为处方药，医生使用这种药物治疗acetaminophenoverdose, and it can also help break up mucus in people having some lung diseases. In addition, NAC is an immediate precursor to a very precious substance named glutathione. Along with amino acidsglutamineandglycine，NAC必须制作和补充谷胱甘肽。

我们可以通过摄入NAC来增加谷胱甘肽的细胞水平。然后将NAC从消化道中吸收，并且还将半胱氨酸释放到血液中。

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione can be defined as an antioxidant compound that exists in plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and some archaea. L Glutathione is the most abundant isomer of glutathione; therefore, it is generally known as glutathione. This compound is able to prevent damage to the important cellular components, which are caused by reactive oxygen species, including free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and some heavy metals.

When considering the chemical structure of L-glutathione, it is a tripeptide compound having a gamma peptide linkage between cysteine and the carboxyl group (in the glutamate side chain). It is freely soluble in water and insoluble in organic solvents such as methanol and diethyl ether.

There are two steps of the biosynthesis of L-glutathione. The first step includes the synthesis of gamma-glutamylcysteine from L-glutamate and cysteine. The second step includes the addition of the C-terminal of gamma-glutamylcysteine catalyzed by glutathione synthetase.

作为抗氧化剂，它可以通过中和氧的反应性物种来保护细胞。此外，它可以参与细胞硫醇蛋白的硫醇保护和氧化还原调节（在存在氧化应激的情况下）。此外，谷胱甘肽参与了许多代谢反应，包括白细胞和前列腺素的生物合成。

What is the Difference Between NAC and Glutathione?

NAC and glutathione are related chemical structures. The key difference between NAC and glutathione is that NAC is an immediate precursor for glutathione, whereas glutathione is an antioxidant compound that exists in plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and some archaea.

Below is a summary of the difference between NAC and glutathione in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – NAC vs Glutathione

N-乙酰半胱氨酸或NAC是乙酰半胱氨酸的一种形式，被禁止在补充剂中使用。Glutathione can be defined as an antioxidant compound that exists in plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and some archaea. The key difference between NAC and glutathione is that NAC is an immediate precursor for glutathione, whereas glutathione is an antioxidant compound that exists in plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and some archaea.

Reference:

1. “Supplements to Increase Glutathione in the Body?”科学与社会办公室, McGill. 4 Aug. 2017.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Kirkman N-Acetyl Cysteine 100mg” By Patrick Pelletier – Own work(CC BY-SA 4.0)via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Glutathione” By Jjexpat – Own work(CC BY-SA 4.0)via Commons Wikimedia