What is Glutathione?

Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria and archaea. Glutathione has a broad spectrum of detoxification, which can enter the body with toxic compounds such as acrylonitrile, fluoride, carbon monoxide and heavy metal ions or carcinogens, combining and promote its eduction body outside, of these substances can be used for the treatment of the disease.

Features

Glutathione molecular weight of 307.33, melting point of 189~193 ℃ (decomposition), crystal is colorless transparent thin cylindrical in shape and isoelectric point of 5.93.It is soluble in water, dilute alcohol, liquid ammonia and methyl formamide, and insoluble in alcohol, ether and acetone.Organisms only with physiological activity, GSH and GSSG need to restore to play its important physiological functions.The GSH under high water activity is not easy to save, only controlling the water activity below 0.3 to long-term stability.Studies have found that in vitamin C (pH3.3) in aqueous solution containing GSH, with strong reducing effect of vitamin C, GSH no oxidation of solution for the GSSG, but the decomposition speed is accelerated;But in the vitamin C solution GSSG will not change as GSH, and save the stability is very good.And oral intake of GSSG in the upper small intestine can be restored as GSH, in the small intestine epithelial cell surface by gamma GTP (GSH is decomposed into glutamic acid and Cys-Gly) and the role of the dipeptide enzyme and is absorbed, can also play an important physiological function.

Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria and archaea. Glutathione is capable of preventing damage to important cellular components caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals.

Many biochemical reactions in the human body are enzyme catalyzed reactions, most of these enzymes with thiol as active groups, the state of the thiol group determines the activation and inhibition of enzyme activity. Glutathione is natural activator, these enzymes in cells containing sulphur human body cell metabolism can be generated by H2O2 back into H2O, remove free radicals in the body.Free radicals can damage the cell membrane, promote the body's aging, and induce tumor or hardening of the arteries.Of anti peroxidation to human cells, but also can improve the antioxidant ability of skin, make skin burnish.Human aging, infections, poisoning, exogenous toxins, oxidative stress, electrophilic compound attack can be made within the cell plasma GSH level reduces, the phenomenon of apoptosis occurs in very early stage, its degradation process can be observed in the early apoptosis, so it can be observed in the early stage of apoptosis.

Occurence

Glutathione is widely found in animals and plants, and the contents of the bread yeast, wheat germ and animal liver are very high,100~100 mg/1000 g;Content is also rich in human and animal blood, such as human blood contains 26~34 mg/100 g, chicken blood contains 58-73 mg/73 g, pig blood contains 10~15 mg/100 g, the dog blood contains 14~22 mg/100 g.Many vegetables, potato and corn also contains GSH (see table 1).

Uses

Winemaking

The content of glutathione in must, the first raw form of wine, determines the browning, or caramelizing effect, during the production of white wine by trapping the caffeoyltartaric acid quinones generated by enzymic oxidation as grape reaction product.[69] Its concentration in wine can be determined by UPLC-MRM mass spectrometry.

Cosmetics

Glutathione is the most common agent taken by mouth in an attempt to whiten the skin. It may also be used as a cream. Whether or not it actually works is unclear as of 2019. Due to side effects that may result with intravenous use, the government of the Philippines recommends against such use.