Possible Interaction: Glutathione and Nitrofurantoin

“Moreover, nitrofurantoin exerted significant effects on the index of antioxidant status, i.e., malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH).”

“Depleting the intracellular stores of reduced glutathione by treatment of BE(2)‐C cells with nitrofurantoin inhibited CNTF activity, whereas addition of reduced glutathione protected cells from the effects of H2O2.”

“After a 21-hr incubation, 840 microM nitrofurantoin caused the cellular GSH and ATP levels to fall 65 and 75%, respectively, while controls exhibited only 29 and 43% decreases in ATP and GSH levels, respectively.”

“ Nitrofurantoin caused cellular depletion of GSH in vitro under aerobic and oxygen-depleted conditions, an effect which could be partially inhibited by coincubation with the hemeprotein ligand ethyl isocyanide, or completely prevented by coincubation with 2'-AMP, an inhibitor of NADPH-dependent reductase enzymes.”

“In vitro, nitrofurantoin is capable of stimulating erythrocyte glucose utilization aand lactate production, and inhibiting the generation of reduced glutathione.”

“ Total glutathione was decreased by furazolidone and nitrofurantoin.”

“2 In the isolated perfused rat lung, nitrofurantoin induced a decrease in tissue levels of glutathione but not protein thiols by the end of the 180 min experi ment.”

“In both cases nitrofurantoin markedly reduced glutathione but exerted cytotoxicity as measured by LDH release and loss of intracellular potassium only in BCNU pretreated cells.”

“Rats treated with 0.3 mg nitrofurantoin showed a 50% decrease in glutathione reductase activity with a twofold increase in the ratio of glutathione disulphide to reduced glutathione in the hypothalamus and brainstem, and a 1.5-fold increase in plasma noradrenaline and plasma renin activity compared with controls.”

“We conclude that toxic doses of nitrofurantoin can produce cellular depletion of GSH and PSH which, if not the direct cause, at least signal the loss of cell viability.”