Cardioprotective potential of N-acetyl cysteine against hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative damage : a protocol for a systematic review
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC (part of Springer Nature)
Abstract
Background: Hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative damage is a well-established factor implicated in the development
of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) in diabetic individuals. Some of the well-known characteristics of DCM include
increased myocardial left ventricular wall thickness and remodelling that result in reduced cardiac efficiency. To
prevent this, an increasing number of pharmacological compounds such as N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) are explored for
their antioxidant properties. A few studies have shown that NAC can ameliorate hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative
damage within the heart. Hence, the objective of this review is to synthesise the available evidence pertaining to
the cardioprotective role of NAC against hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative damage and thus prevent DCM.
Methods: This systematic review protocol will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. We will perform a comprehensive
search on major databases such as EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PubMed and Google scholar for original research
articles published from January 1960 to March 2017. We will only report on literature that is available in English.
Two authors will independently screen for eligible studies using pre-defined criteria, and data extraction will be
done in duplicate. All discrepancies will be resolved by consensus or consultation of a third reviewer. The quality
of studies will be checked using Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool and The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical
Appraisal tools for non-randomised experimental studies. Heterogeneity across studies will be assessed using
the Cochrane Q statistic and the inconsistency index (I2). We will use the random effects model to calculate
a pooled estimate.
Discussion: Although several studies have shown that NAC can ameliorate hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative
damage within the heart, this systematic review will be the first pre-registered synthesis of data to identify
the cardioprotective potential of NAC against hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative damage. This result will help
guide future research evaluating the cardioprotective role of NAC against DCM and better identify possible
mechanisms of action for NAC to prevent oxidative damage with a diabetic heart.
Description
The original publication is available at https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com
Keywords
Diabetes mellitus, Cardioprotective agents, N-acetyl cysteine, Oxidative stress
Citation
Dludla, P. V., et al. 2017. Cardioprotective potential of N-acetyl cysteine against hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative damage : a protocol for a systematic review. Systematic Reviews, 6:96, doi:10.1186/s13643-017-0493-8