Glutathione and lipid peroxidation in the aging rat

1. Tissue extracts were prepared from liver, kidney, heart, brain, lung and spleen of male Sprague-Dawley rats of different ages (1-36 months); each of the extracts was analyzed for reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxides. 2. At all ages the GSH content in the liver was 3-10 times higher than that in other tissues. 3. In the old (36 months) rat the GSH content of all the tissues studied were lower (35-60%) than that in 2.5 month old rat. 4. The lipid peroxides levels increased by age in all tissues studied. 5. These findings indicate that general characteristics of aging tissue may include a decrease in GSH content and increase in lipid peroxides showing a decrease in reducing potential in senescence.