Controversies in acetaminophen nephrotoxicity

Abstract

Acetaminophen is one of the most common and available analgesic and antipyretic medications worldwide and is highly accessible because it has fewer side effects than any other analgesic or antipyretic. However, acetaminophen overdose can cause serious and lethal hepatotoxicity. The daily maximal dose of acetaminophen is 4.0 g, and excessive doses between 7.5 g and 10.0 g can cause hepatotoxicity [1] because about 10% of acetaminophen is metabolized into the toxic metabolite N-acetylp-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI) by cytochrome P450 Large doses of acetaminophen result in severe glutathione depletion with overproduction of NAPQI, causing hepatotoxicity.

Topics & Concepts