Subcellular glutathione contents in isolated hepatocytes treated with L-buthionine sulfoximine

The glutathione contents of the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions and extracellular space of isolated hepatocytes decrease when glutathione synthesis is inhibited with L-buthionine sulfoximine. Mitochondrial glutathione is depleted to 50% of its initial value whereas the cytosolic pool is completely emptied after 2 h incubation in the presence of inhibitor. The mitochondrial glutathione content was only fully depleted when L-buthionine sulfoximine was added together with phorone (2,6-dimethyl-2,5-heptadiene-4-one), a substrate of the glutathione S-transferases (E.C. 2.5.1.18).