Glutathione plays key role in improving aging cardiovascular system

 

Aging is accompanied by cardiovascular disease, which is related to the imbalance of antioxidant system and mitochondrial dysfunction. Glutathione plays a key role as an important antioxidant in protecting cells from oxidative damage.

The Bogomolets Institute of Physiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine studied the effects of exogenous glutathione on the mitochondrial redox state and cardiovascular system function of aged rats. The results showed that exogenous glutathione had The protective and stable mechanism is to increase the content of reduced glutathione in heart tissue, thereby improving the redox state of heart tissue and mitochondria, indicating that the mitochondrial redox state plays an important role in the function of the cardiovascular system, and also confirms that exogenous Potential for glutathione to repair the cardiovascular system during aging. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology.

The researchers divided the experimental materials into three groups, namely adult rats, aged rats, and aged rats pretreated with exogenous glutathione (pretreatment was intraperitoneal injection of glutathione at a dose of 52mg/kg peptide). Analysis according to total glutathione content showed no difference between the hearts of aged and adult rats (Fig. 1A). However, in aged rat hearts, levels of the reduced form of glutathione were decreased and levels of the oxidized form were slightly increased (Fig. 1B, Fig. 1C). Total glutathione content was significantly increased in the hearts of aged rats pretreated with exogenous glutathione compared with untreated aged rats. Notably, the levels of the oxidized form were not significantly increased in the hearts of aged rats pretreated with exogenous glutathione compared with aged rats. Therefore, an increase in total glutathione content occurs due to an increase in its reduced form.

The study found that exogenous glutathione has the potential to restore the redox state of cardiac mitochondria, and the application of exogenous glutathione may be a useful method to correct not only cardiovascular disturbances, but also those related to aging and oxidative stress. Changes in the function of other systems related to stimulation.

Oxidative stress promotes the occurrence and development of coronary heart disease by causing lipid peroxidation, oxidative damage to endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and macrophages, and the degree of myocardial damage is positively correlated with the decreased level of GSH in cardiomyocytes. Therefore, exogenous GSH treatment can maintain the balance of GSH and GSSG in the body, stabilize endothelial cells, protect cardiomyocytes, and maintain the normal operation of heart function. As a natural low-molecular antioxidant and electron donor, glutathione is involved in maintaining cell homeostasis, and plays a key role in protecting cells from oxidative stress and inhibiting apoptosis. Necessary for metabolism etc.

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