Glutathione widely exists in animals and plants, and plays an important role in organisms. The contents of baker's yeast, wheat germ and animal liver are high, reaching 100-1000mg/100g, 26-34mg/100g in human blood, 58-73mg/100g in chicken blood, 10-15mg/100g in pig blood, 12-33mg/100g in tomato, pineapple and cucumber, but low in sweet potato, mung bean sprout, onion and mushroom (0.06-0.7mg/100g).
The excessive free radicals produced by the body's metabolism can damage biofilm, invade life macromolecules, accelerate the aging of the body, and induce the formation of tumors or atherosclerosis. Glutathione plays an important role in the biochemical defense system of human body and has many physiological functions. Its main physiological function is to eliminate free radicals in human body, as an important antioxidant in vivo, to protect the sulfhydryl groups in many proteins and enzymes. GSH contains an active thiol-SH, which is easily dehydrogenated by oxidation. This special structure makes GSH the main free radical scavenger in vivo. For example, when a small amount of hydrogen peroxide is produced in cells, GSH reduces hydrogen peroxide to hydrogen peroxide under the action of glutathione peroxidase. GSSG itself is oxidized to GSSG. GSSG is reduced to GSH under the action of glutathione reductase existing in liver and erythrocyte, so that the free radical scavenging reaction in vivo can continue.
Glutathione can not only eliminate human free radicals, but also improve human immunity. Glutathione maintains health, resists aging, and plays a greater role in retarded cells in the elderly than in young people.
Glutathione can also protect hemoglobin from oxidation by hydrogen peroxide, free radicals and so on, so that it can continue to exert its ability to transport oxygen normally. Under the action of oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide, some hemoglobin in red blood cells is oxidized to trivalent iron, which makes hemoglobin change to methemoglobin, thus losing its oxygen carrying capacity. Reduced glutathione can combine directly with oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide to produce water and oxidized glutathione, and can also reduce methemoglobin to hemoglobin. The content of glutathione in human erythrocyte is very high, which is of great significance to protect the sulfhydryl groups of proteins on erythrocyte membrane in reducing state and prevent hemolysis.
The - SH group in glutathione protease molecule is beneficial to the activity of enzyme, and can restore the activity of - SH group in the destroyed enzyme molecule, so that the activity of enzyme can be restored. Glutathione can also inhibit fatty liver caused by ethanol.
Glutathione has a strong protective effect on the symptoms of leukopenia caused by radiation and radiopharmaceuticals. Glutathione can combine with toxic compounds, heavy metal ions or carcinogens that enter the human body, and promote their excretion in vitro, playing a role in neutralizing and detoxifying.
application
Glutathione has a broad-spectrum detoxification effect. It can be used not only as a drug, but also as a raw material for functional food. It is widely used in functional food such as anti-aging, enhancing immunity and anti-cancer.
Clinical drugs
Glutathione has been manually developed and widely used in clinic. In addition to chelating heavy metals, fluoride, mustard gas and other toxins with its sulfhydryl group, glutathione has also been used in hepatitis, hemolytic diseases, keratitis, cataract and retinal diseases as therapeutic or adjuvant drugs. In recent years, western scientists, especially Japanese scholars, have found that glutathione has the function of inhibiting HIV.
Recent studies also show 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 skin antioxidant capacity and make skin glossy. In addition, GSH has a good effect in treating corneal diseases and improving sexual function.
Vitamin C
In addition, vitamin C is also an important antioxidant in the body. Because vitamin C can be reversibly hydrogenated or dehydrogenated, vitamin C plays an important role in many redox reactions in vivo. For example, the active group of many enzymes is mercapto (-SH), and vitamin C can maintain the activity of the enzyme while maintaining the reductive state of-SH; vitamin C can convert oxidized glutathione into reduced glutathione (GSH), reducing hydrogen peroxide (H22) produced by metabolism; and vitamin C can also protect vitamins A, E and some B vitamins from oxidation. Therefore, the use of glutathione, combined with vitamin C, can improve its efficacy.
food
Glutathione can play an unexpected role
1. When added to flour products, it can play a reducing role. It not only shortens the time of bread making to one-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 vitamin C to yogurt and infant food can act as a stabilizer.
3. Mix it into the fish cake to prevent the color from deepening.
4. Adding it to meat products, cheese and other foods can enhance the flavor.
Hepatoprotective effect
Because of its detoxification and antioxidant capacity, glutathione has an important role in protecting liver and protecting liver. Reduced glutathione is used clinically as an important component of liver protection.
Clinical application: It is suitable for assistant treatment of fatty liver, poisoning and viral hepatitis.
Adverse reactions
Rare nausea, vomiting, headache and rash.
Matters needing attention
It should not be used in combination with vitamin B12, methylnaphthoquinone, calcium pantothenate, whey acid, antihistamine preparations, sulfonamides and tetracycline.
