Editing Cysteine (section)

===Reducing toxic effects of alcohol===
Cysteine has been proposed as a preventive or antidote for some of the negative effects of alcohol, including liver damage and [[hangover]]. It counteracts the poisonous effects of [[acetaldehyde]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Otoyama |first1=Ippo |last2=Hamada |first2=Hironobu |last3=Kimura |first3=Tatsushi |last4=Namba |first4=Haruchi |last5=Sekikawa |first5=Kiyokazu |last6=Kamikawa |first6=Norimichi |last7=Kajiwara |first7=Teruki |last8=Aizawa |first8=Fumiya |last9=Sato |first9=Yoshinobu M. |title=L-cysteine improves blood fluidity impaired by acetaldehyde: In vitro evaluation |journal=PLOS ONE |date=2019 |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=e0214585 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0214585 |pmid=30925182 |pmc=6440629 |bibcode=2019PLoSO..1414585O |doi-access=free }}</ref> It binds to acetaldehyde to form the low-toxicity heterocycle methyl[[thioproline]].<ref>{{cite thesis|title=Interaction of alcohol and smoking in the pathogenesis of upper digestive tract cancers: possible chemoprevention with cysteine|url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/items/8d28d7d1-e6f4-4a2c-89e9-9a25bdffdf93|id=URN:ISBN:952-10-3056-9<!--Not a real ISBN, per WorldCat, but urn.fi recognizes the URN-->|hdl=10138/22689|last=Salaspuro|first=Ville|institution=[[University of Helsinki]]|year=2006|type=Academic dissertation|pages=41–44}}</ref>

In a [[rat]] study, test animals received an [[Lethal dose|LD<sub>90</sub>]] dose of acetaldehyde. Those that received cysteine had an 80% survival rate; when both cysteine and [[thiamine]] were administered, all animals survived. The [[control group]] had a 10% survival rate.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Sprince H, Parker CM, Smith GG, Gonzales LJ |title=Protection against acetaldehyde toxicity in the rat by L-cysteine, thiamin and L-2-methylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid |journal=Agents Actions |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=125–30 |date=April 1974 |pmid=4842541 |doi=10.1007/BF01966822|s2cid=5924137 }}</ref>

In 2020 an article was published that suggests L-cysteine might also work in humans.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eriksson |first1=C J Peter |last2=Metsälä |first2=Markus |last3=Möykkynen |first3=Tommi |last4=Mäkisalo |first4=Heikki |last5=Kärkkäinen |first5=Olli |last6=Palmén |first6=Maria |last7=Salminen |first7=Joonas E |last8=Kauhanen |first8=Jussi |title=L-Cysteine Containing Vitamin Supplement Which Prevents or Alleviates Alcohol-related Hangover Symptoms: Nausea, Headache, Stress and Anxiety |journal=Alcohol and Alcoholism |date=20 October 2020 |volume=55 |issue=6 |pages=660–666 |doi=10.1093/alcalc/agaa082 |pmid=32808029 |hdl=10138/339340 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>