1. Detoxification: Binds to poisons or drugs, eliminating their toxic effects.
2. Participation in redox reactions: Acts as an important reducing agent, participating in various redox reactions in the body.
3. Protection of sulfhydryl enzyme activity: Maintains the reduced state of the active group -SH of sulfhydryl enzymes.
4. Maintenance of erythrocyte membrane stability: Eliminates the damaging effects of oxidants on the erythrocyte membrane structure.
GSH, an important intracellular regulatory metabolic substance, serves as a coenzyme for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and for glyoxalase and triose dehydrogenase. It participates in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and carbohydrate metabolism, and can activate various enzymes, such as thiol (SH) enzymes-coenzymes, thereby promoting carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism. A key characteristic of the GSH molecule is its active thiol group (-SH), which is its most important functional group. It participates in various important biochemical reactions in the body, protecting the thiol groups of important enzyme proteins from oxidation and inactivation, ensuring energy metabolism and cellular utilization. Simultaneously, by binding to free radicals in the body through its thiol group, it can directly reduce free radicals to acidic substances, thereby accelerating the excretion of free radicals and counteracting their damage to vital organs. Studies by Haddad et al. have found that GSH participates in the regulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine transcription and the I-KB/NF-KB signaling pathway.