Effect on N-acetylcysteine on serum tumor necrosis factor-α and eliminating phlegm in patients with of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in stable stage

Objective To study the effect of N-acetylcysteine(NAC) on tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and eliminating phlegm in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in stable stage.Methods 93 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) patients were randomly divided into control group(n=44) and treatment group(n=49).It was additional NAC treatment in patients of treatment group.Results In the treatment group,the levels of TNF-α and the score of sputul quantity after treatment were descreased compared with that at the beginning of treatment by NAC(P0.01);In the control group,the levels of TNF-α and the score of sputul quantity after treatment were no significant difference compared with that at the beginning of treatment(P0.05).Conclusion NAC has functions of Anti-inflammatory and reducing airway mucus hypersecretion.