Changes in levels of glutathione and related compounds and activities of glutathione-related enzymes during rat liver regeneration.

The levels of glutathione and glutathione disulfide increased during the regeneration process of rat liver, reaching a maximum (about twice the control value) on day 2 and reverting to the normal level within 5 days. During this regeneration process, changes in the hepatic level of cysteine, glycine and glutamate, the substrates for glutathione synthesis, were determined. The cysteine level in liver increased, reaching a maximum on day 2 and returned to the normal level after 5 days. The levels of glycine and glutamate did not change. The enzyme activities of cystathionine-beta synthase and gamma-cystathionase for cysteine synthesis, and of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, which is a limiting enzyme for glutathione synthesis, were clearly increased in regenerating liver. The increase of glutathione level could be clearly accounted for by the elevation of these enzyme activities.