Central nervous system uptake of intranasal glutathione in Parkinson’s disease

Intranasal administration increases the level of glutathione in the brain of patients with mid-stage Parkinson’s disease. A decrease in the level of this natural antioxidant is one of the earliest biochemical changes seen in patients with the disease and is associated with oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. Previous studies have shown that glutathione repletion therapies are safe and can alleviate some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. However, researchers were unable to show that the administered glutathione crosses the blood-brain barrier and reaches the brain. Through proton magnetic spectroscopy, Laurie Mischley at Bastyr University in Washington, United States, and colleagues now demonstrate that the level of glutathione increases significantly — and remains elevated for at least 1 hour — following its intranasal administration. Their findings support ongoing trials that aim to optimize glutathione dosing and assess its therapeutic efficacy.