Increased expression of the type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is associated with colon cancer, while the antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) is known to suppress colonic proliferation. We demonstrate that NAC down-regulates the expression of IGF-1R on three colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT29, SW480, and LoVo). NAC also abrogates the proliferative effect of IGF-I on HT29 cells. This indicates a novel mechanism for the therapeutic effects of NAC.