Conditions affecting the Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Activity and Glutathione Stability of Human Erythrocytes

Abstract

ALVING et al.¹ have shown that primaquine-sensitive erythrocytes are deficient in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) activity and a similar abnormality has also been found in fava-sensitive erythrocytes². Consequent on their diminished G-6-PD activity, such cells have an unstable reduced glutathione-level (GSH) when exposed to various oxidizing agents^3,4. Estimations of GSH stability are defined more clearly when glucose is added to the test system⁵. Under these conditions, little reduction in the GSH-level occurs when either fava-sensitive or normal erythrocytes are incubated at 37° C for 24 h, whereas a significant decrease, limited to the fava-sensitive cells, is found after incubation for a further 2 h at 37° C with acetylphenylhydrazine (APH). This final post-incubation GSH-level has been used to distinguish fava-sensitive from normal erythrocytes⁵.