Pharmaceuticals, 2021 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14080792 · Published: August 12, 2021
Spinal cord injuries (SCI) often lead to permanent paraplegia because injured axons cannot regenerate across the glial scar that forms due to neuroinflammation. This study explores the potential of d-chiral glutathione (D-GSH) to suppress the inflammatory response and promote axon regeneration after SCI, comparing its effects with l-chiral glutathione (L-GSH). The researchers found that D-GSH significantly increased axon regrowth in treated rats compared to those treated with L-GSH. Additionally, D-GSH improved secondary damage and motor function more effectively than L-GSH. This suggests that the chirality of glutathione plays a crucial role in its anti-inflammatory and regenerative effects after SCI. Further investigation revealed that D-GSH more effectively decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) by inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway compared to L-GSH. This indicates a more potent anti-inflammatory action of D-GSH at the molecular level.
D-GSH could be explored as a novel therapeutic agent for spinal cord injuries, offering a potentially more effective anti-inflammatory treatment compared to L-GSH.
The chirality-dependent effects of GSH suggest that drug design should consider the chiral properties of molecules to optimize therapeutic outcomes.
Further research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms through which D-GSH interacts with immune cells and promotes axon regeneration.