Radiobiological studies with a series of human cell lines of varying glutathione content.

The effect of decreased levels of intracellular glutathione (GSH) on the radiosensitivity of aerated and hypoxic cells was studied using human skin fibroblasts obtained from patients affected with the inborn error of metabolism, 5-oxoprolinuria. The oxygen enhancement ratios (OER) were determined for four cell lines obtained from a single family, SR and SUR (heterozygous parents) and GM3877 and GM3878 (affected homozygous siblings). Glutathione values ranged from 7.4 to 130% of control values. Only GM3877 with a GSH value 7.4% of control exhibited a reduced OER of 1.9 compared with a control value of 3. These results suggest that a reduction in OER is observed only when GSH levels reach extremely low values.