Functional Consequences and Therapeutic Intervention in Hampered Production of Cysteine, Glutathione and Taurine in Classical Homocystinuria

In homocystinuria due to cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) deficiency or classical homocystinuria, decreased blood cysteine levels are observed. Cysteine is essential for the synthesis of molecules such as glutathione and taurine. Main functions of glutathione are to detoxify drugs and to scavenge reactive oxygen species. N-acetylcysteine is a commercially available drug chemically similar to cysteine. In CBS deficient animal models, N-acetylcysteine supplementation improves cysteine and liver glutathione concentrations. N-acetylcysteine also acts directly as a scavenger of free radicals. In CBS deficiency, increased oxidative damage has been described and possibly contributes to the clinical manifestations of CBS deficiency. Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) is a common painkiller and its overdose (>4 g/day) is a major cause of acute liver failure. Glutathione is required for Acetaminophen detoxification, and the preferred treatment for an overdose is the administration of N-acetylcysteine.

The aim of this study is to demonstrate that CBS deficiency patients have glutathione depletion and to investigate if Acetaminophen can induce subclinical liver damage and if N-acetylcysteine supplementation could prevent the toxic-effects of acetaminophen.

The investigators' hypothesis is that CBS deficiency patients have an inadequate supply of cysteine for the glutathione synthesis, which impairs antioxidants defenses and increases risk of intoxication of drugs that require glutathione, such as Acetaminophen. This potential increased liver toxicity induced by drugs or other xenobiotics that are detoxified by the glutathione pathway has not been explored in CBS deficiency patients. The experiments should provide answers about the functional role of cysteine and glutathione depletion in CBS deficiency and if N-acetylcysteine might have a place as an adjunct therapy for CBS deficiency.