Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci.  2023 Nov;21(4):758-768. 10.9758/cpn.23.1053.

A Preliminary Study on the Potential Protective Role of the Antioxidative Stress Markers of Cognitive Impairment: Glutathione and Glutathione Reductase

• Park Sa
• Byeon G
• Jhoo JH
• Kim HC
• Lim MN
• Jang JW
• Bae JB
• Han JW
• Kim TH
• Kwak KP
• Kim BJ
• Kim SG
• Kim JL
• Moon SW
• Park JH
• Ryu SH
• Youn JC
• Lee DW
• Lee SB
• Lee JJ
• Lee DY
• Kim KW

• KMID: 2548822
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.23.1053

Abstract

Objective
To investigate the relationship between reduced glutathione (GSH), a key molecule of the antioxidant defense system in the blood, and glutathione reductase (GR), which reduces oxidized glutathione (glutathione disulfide [GSSG]) to GSH and maintains the redox balance, with the prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia and cognitive decline.
Methods
In all, 20 participants with Alzheimer’s dementia who completed the third follow-up clinical evaluation over 6 years were selected, and 20 participants with normal cognition were selected after age and sex matching. The GSH and GR concentrations were the independent variables. Clinical diagnosis and neurocognitive test scores were the dependent variables indicating cognitive status.
Results
The higher the level of GR, the greater the possibility of having normal cognition than of developing Alzheimer’s dementia. Additionally, the higher the level of GR, the higher the neurocognitive test scores. However, this association was not significant for GSH. After 6 years, the conversion rate from normal cognition to cognitive impairment was significantly higher in the lower 50th percentile of the GR group than in the upper 50th percentile.
Conclusion
The higher the GR, the lower the prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia and incidence of cognitive impairment and the higher the cognitive test scores. Therefore, GR is a potential protective biomarker against Alzheimer’s dementia and cognitive decline.

Keyword

Alzheimer dementia; Oxidative stress; Biomarker