Compounds found in brightly colored vegetables offer protection from oxidative stress related diseases through increasing Glutathione Peroxidase Activity.
A recent University of Barcelona study by Vera et. al. used Arbor Assay’s Glutathione Fluorescent Detection Kit, K006-F to demonstrate significant inhibitory effect of endothelial cell activation and reduction of reactive oxygen species with an in vitro model of uremia. Flavonoids and antioxidant enzyme mimetics (AEM) improve endothelial dysfunction and reduce uremia associated cardiovascular risk through potentiation of antioxidant pathways.
Flavanoids and the glutathione peroxidase mimetics ebselen and N-acetylcysteine reduced p38MAPK activation, and showed a significant inhibitory effect on both ICAM-1 expression and ROS generation. AEMs also inhibited NFkB activation, and production of ROS, by increasing endothelial glutathione levels in response to uremia.
The authors conclude potentiation of the antioxidant pathways can be an effective strategy to improve endothelial dysfunction in uremia, and a potential target to reduce the cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic kidney disease.