Glutathione

Glutathione participates in cellular redox regulation through its reversible oxidation to glutathione disulfide (GSSG), a reaction catalyzed by glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and its regeneration by glutathione reductase (GR) using NADPH as electron donor. Research employing glutathione as a biochemical tool has examined its role in Nrf2/Keap1 pathway regulation, mercapturic acid pathway detoxification, and the maintenance of protein thiol redox status in various cell lines. It is studied in the context of mitochondrial membrane potential maintenance, apoptosis signaling through regulation of caspase activity, and ferroptosis resistance mechanisms linked to GPx4 activity. Glutathione depletion models using this compound as a reference are common in oxidative stress research across hepatocyte, neuronal, and immune cell systems.