Monitoring Glutathione Homeostasis in Nanoparticle-Treated Hepatocytes

This chapter describes a method for the analysis of human hepatocarcinoma cells (Hep G2 cells) for reduced and oxidized glutathione, following treatment with nanoparticle formulations. Glutathione is a tripeptide (l -γ-glutamyl-l -cysteinyl-glycine) present intracellularly in millimolar concentrations and one of the primary cellular antioxidant defenses against oxidative stress. An increase in the relative amount of oxidized to reduced glutathione may be indicative of oxidative stress, while a decrease in the overall glutathione pool may be indicative of conjugative metabolism or impaired synthesis. The method presented in this chapter utilizes a colorimetric method for detection of reduced and oxidized glutathione.