Abstract
Total glutathione (GSH-GSSG) levels and glutathione reductase (GR) activity are rapidly responsive to changes in O2 environment in developing rat lung in vivo and explants obtained from fetal and new born lung. GSH-GSSG levels decreased from 24 nmol/mg protein on day 18 of gestation to 10 nmol/mg protein at birth. GSH-GSSG then increased postnatally in air and O2 exposed groups. GSH-GSSG of lungs of animals maintained in 100% O2 were twice that of room air controls. All of the increase of lung GSH-GSSG could be accounted for by increased GSH. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, an enzyme of the glutathione cycle, were also increased significantly in lungs of O2 exposed newborn rats.
GR activity in explants of 21 day fetal rat lung cultured in 95% O2 was also two-fold greater than room air controls. GSH-GSSG were consistently greater in the O2 exposed explants similar to what was observed in vivo. These data suggest that glutathione status of developing lung can undergo rapid changes in response to the oxygen environment and likely plays an important role in protection from oxidant injury. Supported by USPHS Grant HD 17785.
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Warshaw, J., Salto, K., Wilson, C. et al. OXYGEN INCREASES GLUTATHIONE REDUCTASE AND GLUTATHIONE LEVELS IN DEVELOPING LUNG IN VIVO AND IN VITRO. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 409 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-01896
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-01896