Glutathione metabolizing enzyme activities in human thyroid.

Glutathione peroxidases, glutathione transferase, glutathione reductase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activities were analyzed in human thyroid tissues obtained from 17 patients undergoing resectional surgery because of a malignancy. It was deduced, from measurements of glutathione peroxidase activity with both H202 and cumene hydroperoxide, that thyroid contains only the selenium enzyme. The absence of selenium independent glutathione peroxidase activity in thyroid was confirmed with gel filtration experiments. An interindividual variation of about 28-fold was found measuring glutathione transferase activity with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Subjecting a fraction of human thyroid cytosols partially purified by G-100 Sephadex column to isoelectricfocusing run, a single peak of glutathione transferase activity centered at pH 4.6 was obtained. An adequate level of glutathione reductase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activities was also found in all specimens investigated.