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Glutathione

Glutathione is a small natural peptide of three amino acids, found in nearly every living cell.

Where it came from

Glutathione was first described in 1888 by J. de Rey-Pailhade in France, who called it philothion, meaning "sulfur-loving".

Frederick Gowland Hopkins at the University of Cambridge isolated it from yeast in 1921 and named it glutathione. Scientists argued about its structure for most of a decade before settling it in 1929, and it was confirmed by making it in the lab in 1935.

Worth knowing

• The name combines gluta- (from glutamic acid, one of its building blocks) and -thione (from the sulfur in another, cysteine).
• It is a chain of three amino acids, but one link is unusual: the first building block attaches through its side instead of the usual spot. Most enzymes that cut peptides cannot break that link.
• Hopkins first reported it as a chain of two building blocks. After another scientist challenged him in 1927, he and, separately, Pirie and Pinhey showed in 1929 that it has three.

At a glance

Weight is shown in grams per mole (g/mol), the standard unit chemists use. It's the number a lab checks a sample against to confirm it's the right compound.

Lab reports

Every batch (called a lot) of Glutathione is tested by an independent lab. The report shows the lab, the test date, the lot number, how pure the sample is and how much is in the vial. Find them on the Certificates of Analysis page. New to lab reports? Start with How to read a peptide lab report.

The weight above is for the compound on its own. A report may show a slightly higher figure, because the powder also carries a little salt left from manufacturing. Peptide salt forms explains why.

Storage

Keep the vial sealed in a freezer at -20 °C, away from light, and let it warm to room temperature before opening so moisture doesn't get in. More in Storing lyophilized (freeze-dried) peptides in the lab and the Research handling guidelines.

For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.