Physiopathology of glutathione. 1st Communication

Abstract

The ciphers of glutation in the 60 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis studied, are modified in the following way: The G. T. is diminished in 80 per cent of the patients; the GS-SG is diminished in 56,6 per cent of the cases and the G-SH is diminished in a 60 per cent.

The cases in which the G. T. and the GS-SG is increased correspond to extensive, ulcerous forms of pulmonary tuberculosis of greater toxicity. The ciphers obtained in the blood serum show a global diminution of the total glutation, oxidized and reduced in all the cases.

In all pleuritic patients studied it is proved that the G-SH is diminished and that the ciphers are very inferior to those obtained in consumptive non-pleuritic patients. Further reduced glutation is found to be diminished in all patients studied with inflammatory processes of articulation and of the peritoneum.

The average ciphers of the Bach’s Index show a diminution, which proves that hypoglutationaemia in pulmonary tuberculosis is not due to the concommittant aneamic factor. In the average values of the remaining indexes studied in the total blood, an increase is observed in tuberculous patients in relation to normal individuais; in the serum there is a diminution of the GS-SG/G-SH and of the Index G. T./G-SH, whilst the values corresponding to indexes G-SH/GS, SG and G. T./GS-SG are found to be increased. These indexes confirm the alterations of glutationaemia in tuberculosis.

We hold that the alterations observed in glutationaemia of pulmonary tuberculosis are due to the hypoxidosis through respiratory insufficience.