Effect of homocysteine on glutathione synthesis and mechanism of causing disease

  Objective   To investigate the effect of homocysteine on glutathione synthesis and the relation between homocysteine and atherosclerosis formation.

  Methods   In vitro experiment, rater ythrocytelysing solution was prepared for the reactive system.The contents of phosphate and glutathione formed in the reaction system were respectively measured in control group, low and high homocysteine treatment groups.The activity of C-glutamylcysteine synthetase was showed by the content of inorganic phosphate formed in the reaction.In vivo experiment, The content of rat plasma glutathione was measured in control group, low and high dosage mathionine treatment groups.

  Results   The phosphate contents in high and low homocystine groups were significantly decreased compared with the control group(P < 0.01).The contents of glutathione in high and low homocysteine groups were lower than the control group(P < 0.01)The content of glutathione in high mathionine group was significantly lower than that of control group(P < 0.01), There was no notable difference in content of glutathio ne between vitamin+mathionine and control group(P > 0.05), but the content of glutathione in vitamin+mathio nine group was significantly raised compared with high mathionine group(P < 0.01).

  Conclusion   Homocysteine has a significant inhibitive effect on glutathione synthesis, which is correlative with the inhibition of homocysteine on C-glutamylcysteine synthetase.This is probably one of the main mechanisms of the rosclerosis formation induced by homocysteine.