Abstract
Synopsis Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in cellular protection during ageing. The hair plucking technique is a non-invasive method for the direct biochemical study of keratinocytes. Hair was taken from the suboccipital area of 63 volunteers (men and women whose ages ranged from 13 to 103 years). The results show a diminution in the glutathione content as a function of age. We compare two groups of population: group A (less than 80) and group B (more than 80). A remarkable fact is observed: group B displays a weak dispersion of the values as compared to A. The glutathione content (nmol 10(-3) mg DNA) is 5.42 +/- 0.60 for A and 1.86 +/- 0.35 for B. A reduction of 88% was observed in glutathione reductase activity and of 78% in the activity of glutathione-S-transferase from group A to group B. The glutathione peroxidase activity remains relatively constant. The decrease in the GSH concentration and the constancy of the glutathione peroxidase suggest that the capacity of the cell to protect itself from peroxides remains unchanged but that the GSH concentration may become the limiting factor.
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