The determination of glutathione in blood and tissues

Abstract

The reduced glutathione (GSH) content of blood can be estimated equally well by the iodometric and glyoxalase methods. Only the latter method is reliable for the estimation of GSH in tissues. Slight modifications in the procedure of Dohan and Woodward, (1939) were suggested for the accurate estimation of total glutathione (reduced plus oxidized) in blood using the glyoxalase method and electrolytic reduction. It was demonstrated by the modified technique that considerable amounts of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) are present in blood cells (human, rabbit and rat). The iodometric method is unreliable for the accurate estimation of total glutathione in blood since interfering substances are liberated during the reduction of GSSG to GSH. Unlike blood, tissues (liver, kidney, pancreas) of rabbits and rats do not contain any measurable quantity of GSSG.