N-Acetilcisteína en neuroprotección y lesión traumática cerebral: revisión de la literatura

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury is considered a public health problem, with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. The knowledge of its pathophysiology has allowed to determine that not only the primary or direct processes generate neuronal damage, but also the secondary processes characterized by a cascade of molecular mechanisms that initiate at the moment of the trauma and evolve later to this one. Among them, oxidative stress and the depletion of antioxidants are highlighted. In this context, N-Acetylcysteine has been proposed as a complementary therapy in the treatment of this type of traumatic brain injury, being a supplier of cysteine and this in turn a precursor of glutathione that participates in the protection against oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species.