Reduced glutathione: Importance of specimen collection

Glutathione, the dominant intracellular thiol, plays an important protective role against oxidative stress. The accidental findings of increased reduced glutathione level postprandially as compared to post absorptive level prompted the design of present study. Reduced Glutathione levels were estimated in 50 healthy individuals in post absorptive and postprandial phase by taking whole blood in ACD bulb. Mean postprandial reduced Glutathione (9.60±3.39 μmole/gm of Hb) is significantly increased than mean postabsorptive level (5.53±0.88 μmole/gm of Hb; p<0.001). It also shows positive correlation (r=0.65) between these two GSH levels. So present study suggests that post absorptive specimen collection is preferable over random or postprandial as the former reflects the true basal level of reduced glutathione.