EFFECT OF EXOGENOUS REDUCED GLUTATHIONE ON THE SURVIVAL OF RED-BLOOD-CELLS IN HEMODIALYZED PATIENTS

Reduced glutathione (GSH) is an important scavenger of free radicals i n the red blood cell (RBC) membrane, and its deficiency may be a parti al cause of increased hemolysis and shortened RBC survival in uremics, In this study we employed exogenous GSH (1200 mg i.v. at the end of e ach dialysis session for at least nine months) to treat anemia in a gr oup of 28 hemodialyzed patients, 14 of whom were also receiving erythr opoietin. RBC survival (Cr-51 T\2) was calculated before (26 patients) and at the end (15 pts) of GSH therapy, After the first three months anemia (RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocytes) improved significa ntly in 17 patients (60%), for as long as they were under therapy, but rapidly dropped to pre-treatment values when GSH was discontinued, Th e Cr-51 T/2 increased significantly in responders, but not in those wh o did not respond, No significant differences were found between respo nders and non-responders as regards urea KT/V, PTH, serum iron, ferrit in, dialysis membrane, dose of erythropoietin and basal Cr-51 T/2, The se results suggest that exogenous GSH may be a promising drug for the treatment of anemia in most hemodialyzed patients, particularly consid ering its low cost.