Regulation of Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction by Glutathione Under Various Pathways: A Narrative Review

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common neurological complication after surgery and general anesthesia, and the incidence increases with age. Will have a negative impact on patients, family and society. At present, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are the main recognized mechanisms. Glutathione (GSH) is a powerful reducing agent and may be related to POCD.

Using medical search engines such as PubMed, Web of Science, we analyzed articles on topics such as: POCD, GSH, microglia, astrocyte, oligodendrocyte, ferroptosis, BDNF, Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress. The above topics are searched in databases using Boolean operations. We included original articles, reviews and other article types such as medical books.

According to the reviewed literature, GSH may be a treatment for POCD.

Specific and targeted therapies for POCD still sparse, therefore, the implementation of preventive strategies appears to remain the optimal attitude. Further research is needed for a better understanding of GSH and POCD.