[Glutathione in therapy]

Abstract

It has been commonly accepted that oxidative stress is involved in pathogenesis of many serious and even lethal health disturbances, including neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, alcoholic disease, viral and bacterial infections. In this paper we discuss the protective antioxidative role of glutathione, the predominant non-protein thiol in mammalian cells. We also emphasize the perspectives of glutathione therapy i.e. application of both cysteine and glutathione precursors.