The physiological role of glutathione in the body

Glutathione is a small molecule, composed of three amino acids, is exist in almost every cell. However, glutathione must produce cells and their precursors (vitamin C and alpha lipoic acid) to work effectively in the body. The glutathione can maintain normal immune system function.

Glutathione strengthen the human immune system, the body's immune activity, smooth lymphocyte and antibody production needs glutathione maintenance. It also as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger: glutathione has a protective effect, preventing the impact of hazardous substances, including the affects of bacteria, viruses, pollutants and free radicals.

Another major physiological role of glutathione in the body is as an important anti-oxidant, and its can rip the body’s free radicals, cleansing and purifying the body’s environmental pollution, thus enhancing people's physical and mental health. As an antioxidants, it also widely used in the cosmetics industry, to be cosmetic raw materials can effectively delay aging. Glutathione itself susceptible to oxidation of certain substances, in the body it can protect many proteins and enzymes not to be oxy-genated by mercapto in the molecule, such as free radicals and other harmful substances oxidation, so that protein and enzyme molecules to exert its physiological function. Human erythrocyte glutathione content, the protection of the red blood cell membrane protein thiol keep reducing state prevent hemolytic significance, but also can protect hemoglobin is not subjected to the oxidation hydroxide radicals and other oxidation so that it continues to function properly in play the ability to transport oxygen. Part of hemoglobin in red blood cells in the role of hydrogen peroxide and other oxidants, the oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric iron to make hemoglobin into methemoglobin, thus losing the aerobic capacity. Glutathione both directly in combination with an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide, to generate water and oxidized glutathione, but also can restore methemoglobin to be hemoglobin.

In addition, vitamin C is also an important anti-oxidants in body. Because vitamin C can reversibly hydrogenation or dehydrogenation, so vitamin C have an important role in the reduction reaction in vivo oxidation. For example, many enzymes in the active group is a mercapto group (-SH), vitamin C, while maintaining the activity of the enzyme-SH can be maintained in a reduced state; vitamin C can be oxidized glutathione into reduced glutathione (GSH restore), hydrogen peroxide metabolism; Vitamin C also protects the vitamins A, E and some B vitamins from oxidation. Therefore, the use of glutathione and vitamin C is possible to improve their effectiveness.

Currently, glutathione manufacturers has been developed glutathione drugs and widely used in clinical, in addition to use its sulfhydryl binding heavy metals, fluoride, mustard gas poisoning, also used in hepatitis, hemolytic diseases, as well as keratitis, cataracts and retinal disease and so on, to be an adjuvant therapy drugs.

Source:http://www.cosprm.com