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Antioxidant properties of glutathione

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Ernest Karn
Antioxidant properties of glutathione

Antioxidant properties of glutathione

An antioxidant is something that neutralises oxidants, which are often alternatively referred to as free radicals. Antioxidant activity is a complicated topic. But it all boils down to electron availability and demand. Electrons want to be in pairs. The need for a molecule's electrons to be in pairs determines whether it is an oxidant or an antioxidant.

Antioxidants help reactive, oxidised materials by providing electrons. The oxidant is stabilised, and the cell's oxidative state is reduced. The most abundant and well-known water-soluble antioxidant is glutathione. It's an endogenous antioxidant, meaning it's produced by your body.

The structure of the protein aids in the neutralisation of oxidative chemicals in the body. The key is to combine the sulphur atom in cysteine with the other two amino acids, glycine and glutamate. This enables glutathione to accept and release electrons with ease. Consider it the ideal molecular structure for the job it performs.

There's even a process that regenerates glutathione molecules so they can continue to scavenge free radicals (explained above). This is known as "redox cycling," and it is one of the reasons why endogenous antioxidants and enzymes are typically more effective than dietary antioxidants.

Antioxidants that you ingest through your diet are usually consumed through one or two antioxidant responses. Endogenous antioxidants, on the other hand, can participate in the redox cycle. This means they can easily switch between reduced and oxidised states. They have a mechanism in place to make this easier (think GR). That's how they're able to go through hundreds, if not thousands, of additional antioxidant responses.

To keep cells in a healthy, reduced condition, the glutathione regeneration mechanism must be efficient. The GSH-GSSG ratio is a key measure of our metabolism's efficiency and the level of cellular oxidative stress.


Natural Detoxification Processes and Glutathione

Every cell in the body has glutathione. However, concentrations in liver cells are seven to ten times larger than anywhere else. This is because the tripeptide is involved in the liver's Phase II detoxifying operations.

The process of metabolising numerous chemicals that need to be eliminated from the cell and body is known as Phase II detoxification. The body attaches glutathione to these molecules, which is the most common example.

s acetyl glutathione has the ability to plant itself on toxins, identifying them as dangerous, with the help of another family of enzymes (glutathione-S-transferases). This aids in the removal of chemical compounds that were not produced by your body. Xenobiotics is the scientific term for these substances. It can be used to describe medicines, toxins in the environment, or any other chemical.

Before these poisons may bind to key biological components like nucleic acids, glutathione must attach to them. Glutathione-S-transferases initiates the reaction, and GSH completes it. Reduced glutathione donates electrons to the positively charged invaders, neutralising them. If you haven't noticed, glutathione is really effective at this. This shields you from negative effects in this situation, as well as the others indicated.

However, the detoxification process isn't finished yet. The next stage is to convert the previously dangerous substance into a form that can be digested and/or eliminated.

Toxins are converted to mercapturic acid by glutathione, which is then excreted in the urine. If all of this seems a little confusing, keep in mind that glutathione helps to make poisons water soluble so they can be removed from the body.

Also, don't underestimate the significance of this procedure. This glutathione-dependent elimination mechanism has physiological implications in detoxification. You'd drown in a sea of toxins if you didn't have it.

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