Glutathione improves the health of livestock and poultry

 

Glutathione (GSH) is a low-molecular-weight peptide with the most abundant sulfhydryl groups in animal, plant and microbial cells. Glutathione that enters the blood circulation can be directly absorbed into cells by some tissues, and can also be absorbed by r-glucose on the cell membrane of tissues. Amyltranspeptidase (r-GT) is degraded to r-glutamyl amino acid (amino acid comes from free amino acid in leukocyte extracellular fluid) and cysteinyl glycine, which is then degraded by dipeptidase to cysteine and glycine or It is transported into cells in the form of dipeptide and then degraded into cysteine and glycine.

Effects of glutathione on production performance and body health of livestock and poultry

1. Improve meat quality

After slaughtering of livestock and poultry, the meat will be oxidized and rancid, affecting the quality, color and taste, but glutathione will increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes in muscle and adipose tissue, which is beneficial to the maintenance of meat quality. Musatti et al. supplemented pigs with hydroxymethionine 14 days before slaughter to increase glutathione levels in slaughtered muscles and relieve post-slaughter meat oxidation. Studies have found that supplementing the diet with cysteamine hydrochloride can improve the antioxidant capacity of meat products, improve glutathione levels and antioxidant enzyme activities, prolong the refrigerated time (48 hours after slaughter), and delay the discoloration of meat products . In the 60-day mutton sheep test, drip loss was significantly reduced in the glutathione-fed group. Glutathione may reduce the damage of free radicals to cell structure and the degree of oxidation of myoglobin, thereby improving the water retention of muscles, improving the tenderness and color of meat, and improving meat quality.

2. Relieve the oxidative stress of livestock and poultry

Glutathione has the function of protection and metabolism, and its content will also change under different pathological conditions. Studies have found that in the diet supplemented with milk-derived acidophilus, glutathione and glutathione The activity of oxidase (GSH-Px) is increased. In production, exogenous supplementation of plant essential oils, probiotics and other beneficial substances can promote the increase of GSH/GSSG content in livestock and poultry, maintain the balance of the two, and then improve the body Antioxidant ability, repair the damage caused by oxidative stress, and protect the health of the body.

As an important biologically active substance in animals, glutathione plays an important role in alleviating oxidative stress and improving body health. In the future, it will have great development potential in the field of feed additives and biological fertilizers.

*Special note - This article is for informational purposes only and cannot replace a doctor's treatment diagnosis and advice. It should not be regarded as a recommendation or proof of efficacy of the medical products involved. If it involves disease diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, please be sure to go to a professional medical institution to seek professional advice.