Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Experimental Approaches for Biochemical Analysis of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Its Disease-associated Variants
Published on: November 28, 2025
High-dose N-acetyl cysteine reduces GFAP levels: Exploratory results from a pilot double-blind, placebo-controlled
Vinicius A Schoeps1, Raviola Murataj1, Akash Virupakshaiah1
1Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Abstract:
To assess whether oxidative stress drives biomarkers implicated in disability progression independent of relapses, we randomized 2:1 fifteen adults with progressive MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): 2.0-6.5) to receive high-dose oral N-acetyl cysteine (NAC, 1250 mg TID), a major source of endogenous antioxidants, or placebo for 4 weeks (NCT02804594). Using the Olink proximity extension assay, we measured 20 serum biomarkers at baseline and 4 weeks on treatment. NAC resulted in decreased glial fibrillary acidic protein (median change: -10.1 pg/mL vs. 39.5 pg/mL, p = 0.008) alongside stable neurofilament light chain levels (median change: 0.25 pg/mL vs. 0.61 pg/mL, p = 0.777). Our exploratory biomarker findings suggest NAC may be a promising agent to delay MS progression.
