Mucucil Mechanism of Action

Mucolytic.
Pharmacology: Pharmacodynamics/Pharmacokinetics: Acetylcysteine is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract peak plasma concentrations occur about 0.5 to 1 hour after oral doses of 200 to 600 mg. Some studies indicate dose-dependent pharmacokinetics with peak concentrations, the time taken to reach the peak concentrations, and bioavailability increasing with increasing doses. Acetylcysteine may be present in plasma as the parent compound or as various oxidised metabolites such as N-acetylcysteine, N,N-diacetylcystine, and cysteine either free or bound plasma to proteins by labile disulfide bonds or as a fraction incorporated into protein peptide chains. In a study about 50% was in a covalently protein bound from 4 hours after oral dose. Oral bioavailability is low and mean values have ranged from 4 to 10% depending on whether total Acetylcysteine or just the reduced forms are measured. It has been suggested that Acetylcysteine's low oral bioavailability may be due to metabolism in the gut wall and the first-pass metabolism in the liver.