[The correlation of tolerance to cerebral ischemia and body temperature with glutathione concentration]

Methodic approaches for the purposeful changes of glutathione concentration in the brain and liver by administration of glutathione depletors and prodrugs have been modified. Two different depletors (diethylmaleate and buthionine sulfoximine) cause considerable increase of tolerance to the complete global cerebral ischemia and hypothermia development which correlate closely with the decrease of GSH concentration. Five GSH prodrugs (GSH esters and oxothiazolidine carboxilate) and GSH itself usually decrease slightly body temperature but do not influence tolerance to ischemia in the most of series. The increase of tolerance to the complete global cerebral ischemia is connected not with GSH accumulation, but with its decrease. Evidently one of the two opposite GSH effects, sensitizing or protecting one, can predominate in different forms of cerebral ischemia.