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Carbocysteine lysine salt monohydrate (SCMC‐LYS) is a selective scavenger of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) Volume 14, numéro 1, March 2003

Auteurs
Department of Preclinical Pharmacology, Dompé S.p.A. Research Center, L‘Aquila, Italy Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milano, Italy

Carbocysteine lysine salt monohydrate (SCMC‐Lys) is a well‐known mucoactive drug whose therapeutic efficacy is commonly related to the ability of SCMC‐Lys to replace fucomucins by sialomucins. The aim of this study was to determine if SCMC‐Lys could exert an anti‐oxidant action by scavenging reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs). Our results show that SCMC‐Lys proved effective as a selective scavenger of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hydroxyl radical (OH *), this effect being related to the reactivity of the SCMC tioether group. The scavenger activity of SCMC‐Lys was observed in free cellular system as well as in activated human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). SCMC‐Lys scavenger activity on HOCl was paralleled by a powerful protection from HOCl‐mediated inactivation of α1‐antitripsin (α1‐AT) inhibitor, the main serum protease inhibitor. Production of interleukin‐(IL‐)8, a major mediator of PMN recruitment in inflammatory diseases, is known to be mediated by intracellular OH *. SCMC‐Lys significantly reduced IL‐8 production on stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the same range of concentrations affecting OH * activity. It is concluded that SCMC‐Lys could exert, in addition to its mucoactive capacity, an anti‐oxidant action, thus contributing to the therapeutic efficacy of SCMC‐Lys.