Longevity & Cellular
Glutathione
Also published as GSH, gamma-Glu-Cys-Gly
The principal intracellular antioxidant in mammalian cells, and a substrate for the conjugation reactions that clear a wide range of compounds from the body. It is endogenous, abundant and very well characterised.
Where it came from
Isolated in 1888 and structurally characterised in the 1930s. Among the oldest and best understood molecules in this catalogue.
What the literature examines
- Redox buffering and oxidative stress in essentially every tissue
- Phase II conjugation and hepatic clearance
- Depletion in paracetamol toxicity, where N-acetylcysteine repletion is standard clinical practice
- Skin pigmentation, in a body of clinical work concentrated in East and Southeast Asia
State of the evidence
The biochemistry is settled. The interventional evidence for administered glutathione, as opposed to precursors like NAC, is much weaker than its reputation.
What a buyer should know
Intravenous glutathione for skin lightening has drawn formal safety warnings from national regulators, including the Philippine FDA. Oral glutathione is also poorly absorbed intact, which is why the precursor route dominates the clinical literature.
Handling and stability
Oxidises readily in solution, converting to the disulfide form GSSG. Air exposure and warm storage both accelerate this.
Sequence
gamma-Glu-Cys-Gly
Read it yourself
We do not publish a curated citation list, because a hand picked list of papers is a sales tool. These links run a live query against the public databases, so you see everything, including the results that do not suit us.
Supplied for laboratory research use only. Nothing on this page is a dose, a protocol or a claim of effect in humans, and nothing here is medical advice. Read our research use policy.