NAC or N-acetyle-L-cysteine has been shown to reduce endometrioma mass, by switching cell behavior from proliferation toward differentiation, and decreases both tissue inflammation and cell invasiveness via a regulation of gene expression and proteine activity and location, as published by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Endometriosis is a benign gynecologic disease, where growth of viable endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, produces a general inflammatory response accompanied by pain. The usual method of treatment is by surgical removal of ectopic lesions, although this does not prevent its reoccurrence.
NAC possesses a marked antiproliferative action on cancer cells of epithelial origin, the same origin of endometrial cells. This action was related to several morphologic, biochemical, and molecular changes all converging into a proliferation-to-differentiation switch, including a decreased invasiveness.
The results of the clinical trials published by ASRM showed a decrease in size and weight of the endometrioma cells.
Fertil Steril 2010;94:2905–8. 2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.