Blood reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations in healthy and ill subjects.
BACKGROUND
Recently blood reduced glutathione (GSH), an important cellular antioxidant, has been proposed as an indicator of health, particularly in the elderly. To date, a gold standard unit for the expression of GSH concentrations is not known. The aim of the study is to define the most sensitive laboratory expression of GSH.


METHODS



METHODS
a comparative study among some laboratory expressions of GSH.


METHODS
Geriatric and Internal Medicine Units; General Community.


METHODS
forty-eight inpatients from Geriatric and Internal Medicine Units and 82 healthy subjects recruited among medical students and residents, people from preventive medicine services and from local senior centres. EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR HEALTHY SUBJECTS: use of drugs in the year prior to the study.


METHODS
neither treatment nor interventions.


METHODS
the laboratory expression of GSH, compared in this study, were mg/dl, packed cell volume (PCV), mg/1010 RBC, mM/gHb.


RESULTS
We noted statistically significant differences only if GSH was calculated as mg/1010 RBC; higher values were found in healthy subjects than in inpatients, apart from age. This modality of expression is minimally affected by haematological parameters; the low sensibility of the other modalities may be due to variations of MCV and Hb. Instead, the ratio GSH mg/1010 RBC expresses the true GSH concentrations inside each erythrocyte. This modality of expression is minimally affected by haematological parameters; the low sensibility of the other modalities may be due to variations of MCV and Hb.
Ruocco
L
L
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Laboratorio Analisi Chimico-Cliniche, Università degli Studi, Pisa, Italy.
Del Corso
L
L
Giordani
R
R
Pagni
V
V
Pentimone
F
F
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D005978:Glutathione