Endogenous vs exogenous glutathione — what does the research measure?
The short answer
Answered from published research literature only. It describes what that literature examines; it is not a statement about use in people. Glutathione is investigational research material and is not an approved product.
Most published glutathione research measures the endogenous pool that cells synthesise themselves, rather than molecule supplied from outside. The two are linked by degradation and resynthesis rather than by direct transfer.613718922995213
The intact tripeptide is not generally carried across the plasma membrane. Extracellular gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase cleaves it to amino acids, which are re-imported and re-assembled inside the cell.3042770722995213
Cited literature
- GlutathioneMeister A, Anderson ME · Annual Review of Biochemistry · 1983PMID 6137189 ↗
- Glutathione synthesisLu SC · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta · 2013PMID 22995213 ↗
- Glutathione: subcellular distribution and membrane transportOestreicher J, Morgan B · Biochemistry and Cell Biology · 2019PMID 30427707 ↗
Research-literature characterization, provided for research context only. For laboratory research use only. Not for human consumption.