Glutathione-1200mg

Form: Powder/solution-ready material (1200mg)

🔬 Glutathione — Overview

Glutathione is a naturally occurring tripeptide composed of three amino acids — glutamate, cysteine, and glycine — that serves as the primary intracellular antioxidant and a central component of cellular redox homeostasis in animals, plants, and many microorganisms. It exists mainly in a reduced form (GSH) and can be reversibly oxidized (to GSSG) during detoxification and oxidative stress responses. It also participates in detoxification, immune regulation, and metabolic processes.

📌 Brief Functional Description

• Antioxidant & Redox Buffer: Glutathione neutralizes reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species, protecting cells from oxidative damage.
• Detoxification: Acts as a cofactor for glutathione-dependent enzymes (e.g., glutathione peroxidase) and contributes to conjugation reactions that facilitate elimination of toxins.
• Cellular Roles: Involved in immune function, protein and DNA synthesis, recycling of other antioxidants (like vitamins C and E), and maintenance of thiol status in proteins.
• Physiological Importance: Produced by the liver and widely present in tissues; levels may decline with aging, stress, or toxin exposure.

🧪 Chemical & Structural Information

🔢 CAS Number

• 70-18-8 — the primary CAS registry number for reduced glutathione (GSH).

🧬 Molecular Formula

• C₁₀H₁₇N₃O₆S — the elemental composition of reduced glutathione.

⚖️ Molecular Weight

• ≈307.32 g/mol (Da) — average molecular weight of GSH.

🧬 Amino Acid Sequence & Structure

• γ-L-Glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine — unique among peptides because the glutamate–cysteine bond is a γ-peptide linkage (i.e., between the side-chain carboxyl of glutamate and the amino group of cysteine).
• The thiol (-SH) group on the cysteine residue is the active center for antioxidant and detoxification chemistry.
• In solution, GSH exists predominantly in the reduced form, and two GSH molecules can form a disulfide (GSSG) upon oxidation.

🧪 Typical SMILES (text structural representation, reduced form):

NC(CCC(=O)NC(CS)C(=O)NCC(=O)O)C(O)=O
(This encodes the backbone with the cysteine thiol.)

🧠 Mechanism & Biological Context

• Antioxidant defense: GSH directly scavenages radicals and acts as a substrate for glutathione peroxidase, which reduces peroxides to water or alcohols, forming GSSG.
• Redox cycling: The enzyme glutathione reductase uses NADPH to regenerate GSH from GSSG, maintaining a highly reduced intracellular environment.
• Detoxification reactions: Through glutathione S-transferases, GSH conjugates electrophiles and facilitates elimination of xenobiotics.
• Cell signaling & protein modification: GSH participates in reversible protein glutathionylation, impacting protein function and cellular signaling.

⚠️ Safety & Supplement Notes

• Forms: Supplements and research reagents often refer specifically to the reduced form (GSH).
• Clinical benefits proposed for supplementation include support for oxidative balance, liver health, and immune function, although evidence varies by context.

🧪 Quick Reference

Notice: Research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.