Possible signaling by glutathione and its novel analogue through potent stimulation of fontocortical G proteins in normal aging and in Alzheimer's disease.

In the frontal cortex (FC) of the normally aging human brain, glutathione (GSH) and its novel analogue, UPF1, stimulate G proteins more than in Alzheimer's disease (AD) FC. In normal aging and in AD, UPF1 is a more efficient stimulator of G proteins than GSH. In normal FC, both GSH and UPF1 stimulate G proteins, which mediate inhibitory signals to the cAMP system; while in AD, only UPF1 exhibits the same action. Stimulation of G proteins and coupled signaling by GSH antioxidant analogues, as potential signaling molecules, may ameliorate the oxidative impairments of neuronal signaling in AD.