Determination of erythrocyte glutathione level in patients with acute cerebral infarction during various periods

Objective: To study the effects of reduced glutathoine (GSH) on the antioxidation following acute cerebral infarction. Methods: The levels of erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) and malonic dialdehyde (MDA) were determined in 30 healthy subjects and 98 patients with acute cerebral infarction during various periods using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The correlations between GSH and other parameters were also analyzed. Results: Compared with the controls, the patients with cerebral infarction showed a lower GSH level and a higher MDA level at the acute stage, particularly on the third day after onset (P0.001). GSH level negatively correlated with MDA level (P0.05) but positively correlated with erythrocyt deformability indexs. Conclusion: We conclude that the level of GSH in the erythrocyte could reflect the dyfunctional degree of peroxidation-antioxidation following acute cerebral infarction.