Introduction: Excessive visceral adiposity is known to drive the onset of metabolic derangements, mostly involving oxidative stress, prolonged inflammation and cellular senescence. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a synthetic form of L-cysteine with potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-senescence properties. This ex-vivo study aimed to determine the effect of NAC on some markers of senescence including β-galactosidase activity and p16, p53, p21, IL-6 and TNF-α gene expressions in visceral adipose tissue in obese adults.


Methods: This ex-vivo experimental study involved 10 obese participants who were candidates for bariatric surgery. Duplicate biopsies from the abdominal visceral adipose tissue were obtained from the omentum. The biopsies were treated with or without NAC (5 and 10 mM). To evaluate adipose tissue senescence, beta-galactosidase (β-gal) activity and the expression of P16, P21, P53, IL-6, and TNF-α were determined. ANOVA test was employed to analyze the varying markers of cellular senescence and inflammation between treatment groups.


Results: The NAC at concentrations of 5 mM and 10 mM resulted in a noteworthy reduction β-gal activity compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Additionally, the expression of P16, P21 and IL-6 was significantly reduced following treatment with NAC (5 mM) and NAC (10 mM) compared to the control group (All p<0.001).


Discussion/conclusion: Taken together, these data suggest the senotherapeutic effect of NAC, as it effectively reduces the activity of SA-β-gal and the expression of IL-6, P16, and P21 genes in the visceral adipose tissue of obese individuals.