Cysteamine bitartrate is an amino thiol and a byproduct of the cysteine degradation pathway that is an FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of nephropathic cystinosis to decrease the accumulation of lysosomal cystine (the disulfide-linked form of cysteine) by engaging in disulfide exchange. In addition, cysteamine bitartrate has been postulated to have broader antioxidant properties potentially related to a distinct role in increasing cysteine availability to support the biosynthesis of the potent antioxidant molecule glutathione[1].
[1] Sujay Guha. “Pre-clinical evaluation of cysteamine bitartrate as a therapeutic agent for mitochondrial respiratory chain disease.” Human molecular genetics (2019): 1837–1852.
Cysteamine bitartrate (CAS# 27761-19-9) treatment of cystinosis and other metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.