Glutathione

Introduction:

English alias: glutatiol;glutatione;glutide;glutinal;isethion;l-glutatione;N(N-L-.gamma.-Glutamyl-L-cysteinyl)glycine;n-(n-l-gamma-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl)-glycin

Relative molecular mass: 307.32

CAS RN: 70-18-8

Molecular formula: C10H17N3O6S

Content: ≥99% (HPLC)

Melting point: 192-195 °C (dec.) (lit.)

Boiling point: 754.5±60.0 °C (Predicted)

Storage conditions: Store at 2-8°C

Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide composed of glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine, containing a thiol group, which has antioxidant and integrated detoxification effects. The sulfhydryl group on cysteine is the active group of glutathione (so glutathione is often abbreviated as G-SH), which is easy to combine with certain drugs (such as paracetamol), toxins (such as free radicals, iodoacetic acid, mustard gas, heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, etc.), and has an integrated detoxification effect. Therefore, glutathione (especially glutathione in liver cells) can participate in biotransformation, thereby converting harmful toxins in the body into harmless substances and excreting them out of the body. Glutathione can also help maintain the normal function of the immune system.

Physical and chemical properties

The molecular weight of glutathione is 307.33, the melting point is 189-193℃ (decomposition), the crystal is colorless, transparent, and slender, and the isoelectric point is 5.93. It is soluble in water, dilute alcohol, liquid ammonia and methylformamide, but insoluble in alcohol, ether and acetone. Only GSH has physiological activity in the body, and GSSG needs to be reduced to play its important physiological functions. GSH is not easy to preserve under high water activity. It can only be stored stably for a long time if the water activity is controlled below 0.3. Studies have shown that in a vitamin C chemical book aqueous solution (pH 3.3) containing GSH, due to the strong reducing effect of vitamin C, the GSH in the solution will not be oxidized to GSSG, but its decomposition rate will be accelerated; and the GSSG in the vitamin C aqueous solution will not be converted into GSH, and the storage stability is very good. In addition, the orally ingested GSSG can be reduced to GSH in the upper part of the small intestine, and absorbed on the surface of the small intestinal epithelial cells through the action of γ-GTP (which decomposes GSH into glutamate and Cys-Gly) and dipeptidase, and can also play its important physiological functions.

Main Applications

Clinical Drugs

Glutathione drugs are widely used in clinical practice. In addition to using its thiol group to chelate heavy metals, fluoride, mustard gas and other toxins, it is also used in hepatitis, hemolytic diseases, keratitis, cataracts and retinal diseases as a drug for treatment or adjuvant treatment. In recent years, Western scientists, especially Japanese scholars, have discovered that glutathione has the function of inhibiting HIV.

The latest research also shows that GSH can correct the imbalance of acetylcholine and cholinesterase, play an anti-allergic role, prevent skin aging and pigmentation, reduce the formation of melanin, improve the skin's antioxidant capacity and make the skin shiny. In addition, GSH also has a good effect in treating corneal diseases and improving sexual function.

Antioxidant effect

As an important antioxidant in the body, glutathione can remove free radicals in the human body; because GSH itself is susceptible to oxidation by certain substances, it can protect the sulfhydryl groups in many proteins and enzymes from being oxidized by harmful substances in the body, thereby ensuring the normal physiological functions of proteins and enzymes; the content of glutathione in human red blood cells is high, which is of great significance for protecting the sulfhydryl groups of proteins on the red blood cell membrane in a reduced state and preventing hemolysis.

Food additives

Adding glutathione to food can play an unexpected role:

1. Adding it to pasta products can play a reducing role. It not only shortens the time of making bread to half or one third of the original time, but also greatly improves the working conditions, and plays a role in strengthening food nutrition and other functions.

2. Adding it to yogurt and infant food is equivalent to vitamin C and can act as a stabilizer.

3. Mixing it into fish cake can prevent the color from deepening.

4. Adding it to meat products and cheese and other foods has the effect of strengthening the flavor.