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>About a week ago I saw a story on CNN about some researchers
>who made a connection between glutathione and susceptibility to
>illness in aids patients.  They said that if their correlation
>was correct then some help for aids patients might be available
>as it was possible to use external means to increase the body’s
>store of glutathione.  Unfortunately the story stopped there.

>What I want to know is what method do these researchers have in
>mind to significantly increase the body’s supply of glutathione?
>I’m under the impression that taking it orally does little good
>as the digestive system will tear most or all of it apart before
>it can be absorbed into the body.  What did they have in mind?
>Injections?  Enteric coated tablets?  Or perhaps some method of
>getting the body to produce more on its own without an added
>external supply?

>Information would be appreciated.  If information is lacking,
>I’d be happy to get an e-mail address where I can contact CNN
>and see if they can give me some more information.

>Thanks,
>Kevin

NAC supplementation has been considered by the Stanford team
and (apparently) been found effective at elevating glutathione levels
back toward a normal level. This team of researchers seem to be
associating such supplementation with a more positive outcome
although I still have to hear them say that this is statistically
significant. NAC supplementation had been considered before
with mixed findings. It’s now certainly sounding like a good idea.
I’ve also attached a reminder that there is a timed release version
of NAC available (apparently the standard capsules have a very
short half-life of 1-1.5hrs) and a copy of the latest press release.

Article: 14884
Newsgroups: misc.health.aids
From: pan…@ix.netcom.com(charles mccarthy)
Subject: Re: Primary Isolates-The Cutting Edge
Date: 27 Aug 1996 15:17:13 GMT

In <4vrn64$…@sjx-ixn3.ix.netcom.com> gangb…@ix.netcom.com(gangbang
) writes:

[edit]

>I think the results from the recent Stanford study on NAC has already
>been reported here, but this is a very good overview of NAC from
>AIDS Treatment News. NAC has a very short half-life of about 1-1.5
>hours but there are sustained release versions available which are
>supposed to release in the small intestine over a 2-4 hour period.

Glutathione Helps AIDS Survival, Reuters – Tuesday March 4 1:35 PM EST
       NEW YORK  – Maintaining healthy levels of a peptide
       called glutathione may play a "pivotal" role in slowing the
       progression of AIDS, researchers say.

       "People with HIV who have lower glutathione levels (also) have
       a much lower probability of surviving over the course of three
       years than do people with normal glutathione levels," concludes
       Stanford University School of Medicine geneticist Dr. Leonard
       Herzenberg.

       Glutathione (GSH) is a molecule involved in a range of normal
       cell activities, including cell division and the clean-up of
       intracellular toxins. But a low glutathione level effectively
       "decreases cell survival, alters (immune system) T cell
       functions, and increases HIV replication" in HIV-infected
       cells, researchers say.

       They add that GSH-level measurements may be an accurate marker
       of AIDS progression. Traditionally, physicians have assessed
       the condition of HIV-infected patients by measuring levels of
       CD4 cells, part of the immune-system. CD4 counts of 1,000 cells
       per milliliter (ml) of blood are normal in healthy, uninfected
       individuals. These numbers drop precipitously in those infected
       with HIV. CD4 levels under 200 cells/ml are thought to leave
       AIDS patients vulnerable to a number of life-threatening
       opportunistic infections.

       But CD4 counts may not tell the whole story, according to the
       study.

       Herzenberg’s team divided 204 HIV-positive, (but
       AIDS-asymptomatic), patients into two groups. They gave one
       group a GSH-boosting drug called N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and
       the other group a placebo.

       Ninety-nine of the 204 Stanford study subjects had initial CD4
       counts of under 200 cells/ml. Most of the 99 who received
       placebo (and thus maintained low glutathione levels) died
       within the three-year study period.

       "In contrast," said Herzenberg, "of the 28 people who started
       the study with low CD4 counts but maintained normal glutathione
       levels, 23 survived. In other words, about 80% of these people
       survived, even though their CD4 cell counts indicated their
       survival was unlikely."

       Herzenberg believes "glutathione levels matter to patient
       survival," and the study says clinical measurements of those
       levels "emerges as a powerful yardstick for predicting survival
       in HIV infection."

       And Herzenberg believes that boosting GSH levels can keep AIDS
       patients healthier longer. "We know that NAC will raise
       glutathione levels in patients. Therefore, it’s logical to
       suggest that NAC will help HIV patients live longer," he says.
       NAC, a drug the study calls "inexpensive (and) nontoxic," works
       by supplying the amino acids crucial to the replenishment of
       cellular GSH.

       However, other factors deplete the body’s GSH. Ultraviolet
       radiation (usually from sunlight), drinking, and the
       consumption of acetaminophen-containing drugs (like Tylenol)
       can actually lower GSH levels, the researchers warn. Avoiding
       those factors would "minimize GSH deficiency in HIV-infected
       individuals," they say.

       The study "provides the first clear indication that GSH
       deficiency plays a pivotal role in determining how quickly the
       final stages of HIV disease progress." Herzenberg says clinical
       trials assessing impact of NAC administration on long-term HIV
       patient survival is the next logical step in research on the
       subject. SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of
       Sciences (1997;94:1967-1972)