Enzymes of glutathione synthesis in patients with myeloproliferative disorders

The concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and activities of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase have been measured in red cells from normal donors and from patients suffering from those hematological diseases which are sometimes associated with increased GSH levels. The activity of glutathione synthetase was strongly correlated with red cell GSH levels. In contrast, the level of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase was unrelated to the concentration of GSH. These findings suggest that the increased level of glutathione in red cells of patients with myeloproliferative syndromes may be due, at least in part, to increase in the activity of glutathione synthetase.