New findings on the role of glutathione in cancer

Cancer cells and normal cells are known to respond differently to nutrients and drugs that affect the State of glutathione.

Numerous studies have shown that the tumor cells have elevated levels of glutathione, which confers resistance to chemotherapy drugs.

One of the challenges of cancer treatment is how exhausted glutathione, tumour cells in order to make them more vulnerable to the effects of chemotherapy drugs while at the same time allowing normal cells to relatively are unaffected by chemotherapy drugs.

A number of new discoveries that take into consideration the role of glutathione in ways that promote programmed cell death (apoptosis) in cancer cells have been.

A German study reported Glutathione (GSH) plays a key role in the cell mechanisms that result in cell death.The study found that apoptosis-resistant cancer cells had higher levels of GSH intracellular.

Depletion of glutathione in these tumor cells makes them more vulnerable to the effects of drugs against cancer gene that promotes apoptosis (CD95 or APO-1/FAS). The researchers concluded that the resistance of apoptosis in tumor cells depends at least in part, intracellular GSH levels.(1)

Another study conducted in Spain, the researchers found that it lowers the concentration of the GSH may be appropriate not only for the effectiveness of chemotherapy, but also lead a fairly quick mechanism and direct apoptosis in tumor cells.(2)

On the premise that expresses the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase in high levels in many tumors, Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania, researchers went on to design a novel prodrug (PABA/NO).

Glutathione-s-transferase in tumor cells turns lethal PABA/NO nitric, resulting in the death cell tumor oxide.The prodrug has shown anti-tumor effects in animal model for human ovarian cancer.(3)

The fourth study, Polish researchers found that ingestion of selenium supplementation is beneficial, as an element of support in chemotherapy.(4)

Selenium is a cofactor of the enzyme Glutathione peroxidase GSH-P (x) and was found to greatly increase the activity of GSH-P (x) in patients receiving the supplement.

Previous clinical study by the same investigators recommended selenium in ovarian cancer patients undergoing multidrug chemotherapy.(5)

Another interesting study by researchers at Texas showed that your chances of surviving a type of brain cancer, called primary malignant glioma, could depend on the type of glutathione-s-transferase (GST) gene who were born with.

You have a combination of a two specific variants of GST (germline GSTP1 * A / * A and GSTM1 null genotype) grant an advantage of survival in certain types of brain cancers but also comes with an increased risk of adverse events associated with chemotherapy. (6)

There is compelling evidence to suggest a crucial role for glutathione and Glutathione target in the prevention and treatment of cancer metabolism substances.

Undenatured whey protein is a natural foods that are known to selectively deplete your glutathione, cancer cells making them more susceptible to such cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments.

For a report full on investigations into whey Undenatured protein and cancer see report Glutathione (GSH) and protein of Sera in cancer.