Efficacy of NAC for intervertebral disc degeneration.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind comparative study to evaluate the efficacy of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for intervertebral disc degeneration.

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

JPRN

Registry ID

JPRN-jRCTs031180436

Enrollment

Registered

2019-03-27

Start date

2021-03-10

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Patients judged by heavy doctors to be difficult to continue Lumbar disc degeneration, Disc herniation

Interventions

NAC 1800mg group: Take NAC (300 mg / tablet) 2 tablets plus take 1 placebo tablet, total 3 tablets once 3 times a day for 24 weeks NAC 2700mg group: Take NAC (300 mg / tablet) 3 tablets once 3 times a

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1) Patients with lumbar disc degeneration based on images(Pfirrmann grade: 3, 4) and neurological findings 2) Age From 20 years old to less than 65 years old 3) During the study period, anti-inflammatory / analgesic agents (NSAIDs including COX-2 inhibitors, an extract from Inflamed cutaneous tissue of rabbits inoculated with Vaccinia Virus (neurotropin), antioxidant vitamin E formulation(yubera), as well as steroidal agents (oral preparation and injection)), those who agree to discontinue the use.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1) Patients with complications such as severe heart, lung, liver, and blood diseases 2) Patients who received surgical treatment judged by the attending physician to affect the exam 3) Patients whose ALT / AST values before administration exceed 3 times the institution standard value 4) Currently, supplements containing NAC or NAC or supplements with antioxidant action (vitamin E) ingested 5) Patients who are allergic to drugs including NAC 6) Women who are pregnant, nursing, maybe pregnant or prefer pregnant during treatment 7) Patients who have undergone spinal surgery in the past 8) Others, patients who are judged to be unacceptable as subjects of this study by the investigator or shared medical doctor

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
MRI image (T1, T2 in Q-space imaging) Initial value, change in brightness after 24 weeks	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Pain VAS, SF-36, Pain DE-TECT Score, JOABPEQ, Amount of analgesic drug used	—

Contacts

Public ContactSatoshi Suzuki

Keio University Hosipital

ssatosea@yahoo.co.jp+81-3-3353-3812

Outcome results

None listed

Source: JPRN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jul 3, 2026