Preclinical studies demonstrated that N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is able to break von Willebrand Factor (VWF) multimers by bisulfide bond reduction. Since thrombi in stroke patients are rich in VWF, NAC could be used as a thrombolytic agent during the acute phase. This study aims at assessing the safety of NAC in combination with alteplase (rt-PA) at the acute phase of ischemic stroke.
The primary objective of the study is to assess the safety of N-Acetylcysteine as a thrombolytic agent in acute ischemic stroke, especially regarding the risk of hemorrhagic transformation.