Glutathione
A tripeptide antioxidant composed of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine, central to cellular detoxification, immune function, and oxidative stress defense.
Also referenced as: GSH, L-Glutathione, Reduced Glutathione
Also appears in: Anti-Aging
This name primarily lives in the research market and should not be read like an approved pharmaceutical product.
Primary lane: Recovery. Also surfaces under Anti-Aging for browsing and discovery.
GSH, L-Glutathione, Reduced Glutathione
FDA label signal · 1509 trials · 195472 PubMed results
Glutathione has human trials registered, but none have reported controlled results yet. Most current claims about what it does in people rest on preclinical (lab or animal) work, not published human data.
Glutathione has 5 name-matched clinical trials (1 international) (highest phase: Phase 1) and 195605 PubMed-indexed publications and is not FDA-approved. Human trials are registered but none have posted results yet.
Re-checked nightly against the registries — tracked since 2026-07-09. No band changes yet.
Grades evidence strength, not efficacy or safety. Research-use context; not medical advice. Graded 2026-07-13 from PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN, openFDA, Health Canada, and OpenAlex — computed deterministically and refreshed nightly, with a retraction check. How we grade →
What is glutathione?
Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide — gamma-glutamylcysteinylglycine — produced endogenously in every human cell. It is the body’s most abundant intracellular antioxidant and plays critical roles in Phase II detoxification, immune cell function, and redox signaling.
How it works
- Direct antioxidant — GSH neutralizes reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species by donating electrons, becoming oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in the process (Forman et al., Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2009)
- Conjugation reactions — glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) conjugate GSH to xenobiotics and endogenous toxins, facilitating their excretion (Hayes et al., Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 2005)
- Immune modulation — T-lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity depend on intracellular GSH levels (Dröge & Breitkreutz, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2000)
Clinical use
Unlike most research peptides, glutathione has established medical applications:
- Acetaminophen toxicity — IV N-acetylcysteine (a GSH precursor) is standard of care
- Compounding pharmacies — injectable glutathione is available via prescription for off-label uses
- Parkinson’s disease — IV glutathione has been studied as adjunctive therapy, though results are mixed (Mischley et al., Movement Disorders, 2017)
- Skin lightening — widely used in aesthetic medicine; a systematic review found limited but suggestive evidence for melanin reduction (Weschawalit et al., Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2017)
Research status
Glutathione has extensive published literature (>170,000 PubMed entries). Key clinical references:
- Richie et al. (2015) showed oral GSH supplementation increased body stores of glutathione in a randomized trial (European Journal of Nutrition, 54(2):251–263)
- Allen & Bradley (2011) reviewed glutathione’s role in oxidative stress and aging (Age, 33(2):199–212)
- Weschawalit et al. (2017) demonstrated skin-lightening effects of oral glutathione in a randomized, double-blind trial (Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 10(10):14–17)
Key considerations
- Available as IV, subcutaneous, oral, and sublingual formulations
- Oral bioavailability is debated — liposomal and sublingual forms may improve absorption
- Research vendor injectable formulations differ from pharmacy-compounded versions in quality oversight