Abstract

MARTINEZ SARRASAGUE, María et al. Current concepts on glutahione metabolism: Usefulness of stable isotopes of its homeostasis. Acta bioquím. clín. latinoam. [online]. 2006, vol.40, n.1, pp.45-54. ISSN 0325-2957.

Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role against free radicals, its blood concentration showing a strong correlation with in vivo oxidative stress. GSH concentration decreases with aging, strong fitness and oxidative stress among other pathologies like diabetes, cystic fibrosis, AIDS, cirrhosis, infections, protein malnutrition and chemotherapy treatments. The GSH performance in different physiological functions and diverse pathologies can be studied using labeled molecules with stable isotopes, for instance using 13C. The kinetic of the 13CO2, generated from a 13C-substrate, constitutes a useful tool for the studies of metabolic routes. The carboxilato 13C-oxatiazolidina (OTC) enables the evaluation of the glutathione balance in different pathological and physiological conditions, determining the redox state in each situation. In this work, different basic aspects of glutathione metabolism are discussed, as well as its relationship with different pathologies. The usefulness of stable isotopes is also analyzed as a non invasive tool for determining glutathione balance in human beings.

Keywords : glutathione; metabolism; oxidative stress; pathologies; stable isotopes; 13C-oxothiazolidine carboxylate.

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