Non-invasive Quantification of Muscle and Liver Glutathione GSH-MRS

Overview

Glutathione (glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine) is the main intracellular compound. It participates also in the detoxification of electrophiles molecules of which paracetamol. It is synthesized in the liver during the postprandial phase, which establishes a stock that is mobilized for the other tissues (muscle)during the postabsorptive period. It is of common knowledge that the decrease in glutathione concentrations associated with ageing could be involved in the development of the degenerative pathologies linked to the old age. These changes could be reversed by an increase in dietary cysteine, the amino acid limiting of the endogenous synthesis of GSH. The development of nutritional strategies aiming at an improvement of the status glutathione requires the determination of its concentration within tissues, where it is active. The quantification of tissue concentrations of glutathione by biochemical techniques requires tissue biopsies. Such a method can be performed for the muscle, but liver biopsy is not feasible outside of a surgery. It is necessary to set up a non-invasive method to quantify muscle and liver glutathione.

The study will validate the detection and the quantification of glutathione in muscle and liver using 1H MRS. The accuracy of the method will be assessed from intra and inter-volunteer measurements. 1H MRS measurements will be performed with the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 3 Tesla system of the Hospital, twice for each volunteer. Prior to the measurements, volunteers will have a protein rich breakfast at home and a protein rich lunch at the Clinical Investigation Center.

Conditions