| Glutathione - Your Brain's Master Antioxidant Defense |  |
Copyright © 2004 Priya Shah
Free radicals and oxyradicals play an important role in the
development and progression of many brain disorders such as
brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, schizophrenia and
Down syndrome.
Glutathione is the brain's master antioxidant and plays an
important protective role in the brain.
According to Dr. Jimmy Gutman, "The brain is particularly
susceptible to free radical attack because it generates
more oxidative by-products per gram of tissue than any
other organ."
Many neurological and psychiatric disease processes are
characterized by... abnormalities in glutathione metabolism
and antioxidant defenses."
Generation of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and
oxidative damage are an important cause of neuron (brain
cell) death from brain injury.
Chemicals that cause toxicity to certain brain cells are
known to decrease cerebral glutathione (GSH), making the
cells more vulnerable to reactive oxygen species (ROS). (1)
On the other hand, over-expression of the glutathione
peroxidase (GPX) enzyme potently decreases cell death from
brain injury. (2)
Brain Injury and Glutathione - The Gender Difference
Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have found
that males and females respond differently to brain injury.
(3)
In animal models, levels of glutathione remain constant in
females who have suffered a brain injury, but drop by as
much as 80 percent in males with the same injury.
When glutathione levels drop, brain cells die much more
quickly. This suggests that boys with brain injuries may
require different life-saving treatments than girls.
N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), a precursor of glutathione,
already approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration to treat people who have overdosed on
acetaminophen, may be an effective treatment for brain
injury in boys whose brains are deprived of oxygen.
Brain Disorders and Glutathione - A Genetic Cause?
Genetics researchers have found that the glutathione
S-transferase gene controls the onset of Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's disease and determines, not if we get these
diseases, but when. (4)
The glutathione S-transferase gene has previously been
linked to the risk for Parkinson's disease among people who
used pesticides.
A previous article covered the importance of glutathione in
Parkinson's Disease.
http://www.1whey2health.com/parkinsons_glutathione.htm
Alzheimer's Disease and Glutathione
Free radicals and oxidative damage in neurons is known to
be a primary cause of degenerative diseases like
Alzheimer's disease.
Amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) accumulation in senile plaques, a
pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), has been
implicated in neuronal degeneration.
Amyloid plaques encroaching on the brain increase the
production of free radicals, or oxidative stress.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E "mop up" the damaging
free radicals.
Glutathione (GSH) precursors can prevent death of brain
cells induced by amyloid plaques in Alzhiemer's disease,
while substances that deplete GSH increase cell death. (5)
Evidence has been piling up over the link between the
amount of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood
and the chance of developing Alzheimer's.
For people not genetically predisposed to developing
Alzheimer's, cholesterol and homocysteine, largely caused
by an unhealthy lifestyle, are the core causal factors.
Welsh GP, Andrew McCaddon, showed that the more
homocysteine that patients with Alzheimer's had, the worse
their mental performance, and the worse their "cognitive
impairment," the less they had of the antioxidant
glutathione. (6)
Glutathione and Mood Disorders
Studies have found that the mood stabilizing drug,
valproate, used to treat epilepsy and bi-polar disorder,
regulates expression of the genes that make
glutathione-S-transferase (GST).
In addition, chronic treatment with lithium, another
commonly prescribed mood stabilizer used in treating
manic-depression, also increased levels of GST.
These findings led researchers to conclude that glutathione
S-transferase may be a novel target for mood stabilizing
drugs. (7)
Alcohol Consumption and Glutathione
Alcohol abuse is known to impair memory and other brain
functions and increase brain cell death. A new study in
rats has shown that alchol consumption causes fewer new
brain cells to form and results in greater cell death. (8)
But rats that were fed alcohol along with Ebselen - a
glutathione peroxidase mimic that acts as a free radical
scavenger - showed no similar reduction in brain-cell
formation and no increase in cell death.
Substances that Boost Glutathione Levels and Protect Brain
Cells
Taking glutathione itself as a supplement does not boost
cellular glutathione levels, since it breaks down in the
digestive tract before it reaches the cells.
However, intravenous glutathione therapy and glutathione
precursors or dietary supplements are effective in boosting
intracellular levels of glutathione.
Intravenous Glutathione Injections: Intravenous glutathione
injections have been shown to produce amazing and rapid
results, in patients with Parkinson's disease. Following
even a single dosage of intravenous glutathione, many of
the symptoms of Parkinson's disease rapidly improve, often
in as little as 15 minutes.
Glutathione Precursors: In the Alzheimer's study conducted
by Welsh GP, Andrew McCaddon, adding the glutathione
precursor, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) to a protocol that
lowered homocysteine levels by simple supplementation with
B12 and folate, resulted in prompt, striking, and sustained
clinical improvement in nearly all the patients. (9)
Cucurmin (turmeric): Studies have shown that the Indian
curry spice, cucurmin, has neuroprotective effects because
of its ability to induce the enzyme, hemeoxygenase-1
(HO-1), which protects neurons exposed to oxidant stress.
Treatment of brain cells called astrocytes, with curcumin,
increases expression of HO-1 protein as well as glutathione
S-transferase. (10)
Ebselen: Ebselen is a glutathione peroxidase mimic and
potent synthetic antioxidant that acts as a neuroprotective
agent and an inhibitor of free-radical induced apoptosis
(cell death). It can protect brain cells from the
neuro-toxic effects of alcohol consumption. (8)
Undenatured Whey Protein: Undenatured whey protein provides
glutathione precursors, has been shown to raise
intracellular glutathione levels in clinical trials, and
has anecdotally been reported to improve the symptoms of
Parkinson's disease.
References:
1. Journal of Neurochemistry, Vol. 88, No. 3, 2004
513-531
2. Journal of Neurochemistry, Vol. 87, No. 6, 2003
1527-1534
3. Researchers Find Brain Cells Die Differently in Males
and Females; Pediatric Academic Societies Press release;
21-Apr-2004
4. Human Molecular Genetics, 2003, Vol. 12, No. 24
3259-3267
5. The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 164, Number 1,
123-131; 5 January 2004
6. Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Feb;53(3):254-60
7. Journal of Neurochemistry, Vol. 88, No. 6, 2004
1477-1484
8. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Jun 24;100(13):7919-24.
Epub 2003 Jun 05.
9. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2003 Mar-Apr;11(2):246-9
10. Can Curry Protect Against Alzheimer's?; American
Physiological Society (APS) Press Release; 16-Apr-2004
_________________________________________
This article was first published in the May 2004 issue of
The Glutathione Report, http://www.glutathione-report.com ,
a newsletter featuring regular updates on the health
benefits of glutathione. Get a Free report on Glutathione
in Health and Disease http://www.1whey2health.com
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This article was first published in the May 2004 issue of
href="http://www.glutathione-report.com" target="_blank">The Glutathione Report, a
newsletter featuring regular updates on the health benefits of glutathione.
Get a Free report on Glutathione in
Health and Disease
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