Red Cell Glutathione in Anaemia

Abstract

Erythrocyte reduced glutathione (GSH) has been measured in 17 normal subjects and in 70 patients with anaemia of various causes; the red cells of most of the anaemic patients contained abnormally high levels of GSH. In the group of cases of untreated megaloblastic anaemia in which the haemoglobin concentration was less than 8.0 g. per 100 ml., there was an inverse relationship between the erythrocyte GSH level and the haemoglobin concentration. During initial therapy in megaloblastic anaemia, as the haemoglobin concentration increased, the GSH level decreased towards normal; the time taken for the GSH level to reach a value 2 standard deviations above the normal mean was inversely related to the initial haemoglobin concentration. In the red cells of patients with anaemia there was no correlation between the GSH level and the activity of glutathione peroxidase. The significance of these findings is discussed.