In living cells, glutathione disulfide is reduced into two molecules of glutathione with reducing equivalents from the coenzymeNADPH. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzymeglutathione reductase.[2]
The GSH:GSSG ratio is therefore an important bioindicator of cellular health, with a higher ratio signifying less oxidative stress in the organism. A lower ratio may even be indicative of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease.[5]
^Holmgren A, Johansson C, Berndt C, Lönn ME, Hudemann C, Lillig CH (December 2005). "Thiol redox control via thioredoxin and glutaredoxin systems". Biochem. Soc. Trans. 33 (Pt 6): 1375–7. doi:10.1042/BST20051375. PMID16246122.
^Owen, Joshua B.; Butterfield, D. Allan (2010). "Measurement of oxidized/reduced glutathione ratio". In Bross, Peter; Gregersen, Niels (eds.). Protein Misfolding and Cellular Stress in Disease and Aging. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 648. pp. 269–77. doi:10.1007/978-1-60761-756-3_18. ISBN978-1-60761-755-6. PMID20700719.
^Steullet P, Neijt HC, Cuénod M, Do KQ (2006). "Synaptic plasticity impairment and hypofunction of NMDA receptors induced by glutathione deficit: relevance to schizophrenia". Neuroscience. 137 (3): 807–19. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.10.014. PMID16330153. S2CID1417873.
^ abVarga V, Jenei Z, Janáky R, Saransaari P, Oja SS (1997). "Glutathione is an endogenous ligand of rat brain N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and 2-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptors". Neurochemical Research. 22 (9): 1165–71. doi:10.1023/A:1027377605054. PMID9251108. S2CID24024090.