Inflammation plays a critical role in kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury but mechanisms of increased proinflammatory cytokine expression are not completely understood. Kidney has a high expression of cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) that can synthesize hydrogen sulfide. CBE and CSE are also responsible for the synthesis of cysteine, an essential precursor for gluta...

Glutathione is translocated out of cells; cells that have membrane-bound gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase can utilize translocated glutathione, whereas glutathione exported from cells that do not have appreciable transpeptidase enters the blood plasma. Glutathione is removed from the plasma by the kidney and other organs that have transpeptidase. Studies in which mice and rats were treated with bu...

Background: Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose causes renal and hepatic injury. It is ‎also believed that oxidative stress has a pivotal role in APAP-induced renal injury. ‎Therefore, protective effects of different antioxidants have been examined in APAP-‎induced renal and hepatic toxicity models. Stevia rebadiana is a plant with a high ‎degree of natural antioxidant activity in its leaf extract. T...

We studied the catalytic hydrolysis of glutathione by human liver -y-glutamyltransferase [(y-glutamyl)-peptide:amino acid -y-glutamyltransferase, EC 2.3.2.21. Glutamate production from glutathione was maximal at pH 7.4 (37 #{176}C). Kinetically, the liver enzyme is similar to human kidney ‘y-glutamyltransferase: their respective Km values with glutathione as substrate are similar (0.096 X iO mo...

Effect of cigarette smoke on lipid peroxidation (LPX) and antioxidant enzymes like catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in various organs like brain, heart, lung, liver and kidney of the albino rats exposed to cigarette smoke for 30 min/day for a period of 30 days were assayed. It was observed that the lipid peroxide lev...

Ischemia-reperfusion is a common cause for acute kidney injury and can lead to distant organ dysfunction. Glutathione is a major endogenous antioxidant and its depletion directly correlates to ischemia-reperfusion injury. The liver has high capacity for producing glutathione and is a key organ in modulating local and systemic redox balance. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by...