Brain glutathione and the anti-hypoxic effect of glutathione depletors in mice.

The anti-hypoxic effect (assessed by a standard hypoxia survival test) 3 hr after 2-cyclohexene-1-one (CHX) was completely abolished by injections of L-cysteine after CHX. Under these conditions, brain GSH was depleted to about 50% of the control level in CHX-treated mice and recovered to about 80% of control level following L-cysteine post-treatment. However, D-cysteine could not cause such effects. Intracerebroventricular injection of CHX, which caused a selective depletion of brain GSH, produced an anti-hypoxic effect. Thus, the anti-hypoxic effect may be related to the decrease of brain GSH levels.