N-acetylcysteine does not affect the lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity responses to exercise

This study evaluated whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) attenuates the reduced lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer (NK) cell activity responses to exercise in humans. Fourteen oarsmen were double-blind randomized to either NAC (6 g daily for 3 days) or placebo groups. During 6- min 'all-out' ergometer rowing, the concentration of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood increased, with no significant difference between NAC and placebo as reflected in lymphocyte subsets: CD4⁺, CD8⁺, CD16⁺, and CD19⁺ cells. The phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation decreased from 9,112 ± 2,865 to 5,851 ± 1,588 cpm (P < 0.05), but it was not affected by NAC. During exercise, the NK cell activity was elevated from 17 ± 3 to 38 ± 4% and it decreased to 7 ± 1% below the resting value 2 h into recovery. Yet, when evaluated as lytic units per CD16⁺ cell, the NK cell activity decreased during and after exercise without a significant effect of NAC. We conclude that NAC does not attenuate the reduction in lymphocyte proliferation and NK cell activity associated with intense exercise.