Antioxidant / compounded wellness
Prepared by the ezGLP team. Sources last checked . Profile reviewed .
Also known as Reduced glutathione, GSH
Routes represented in the knowledgebase: Oral / Inhaled / Other / unspecified.
Oral supplement; injectable wellness use is not FDA-approved. FDA has linked compounded IV products to endotoxin reactions and hospitalizations.
Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine synthesized in every cell of the body. It is the most abundant intracellular thiol and the central component of the cell's antioxidant and detoxification systems: it neutralizes reactive oxygen species directly, serves as a cofactor for glutathione peroxidases and glutathione S-transferases, and conjugates drugs and toxins for excretion. The reduced form is continually regenerated from oxidized glutathione disulfide (GSSG) by glutathione reductase. Although it is technically a peptide, glutathione is not a signaling peptide or hormone; it is classified as an endogenous antioxidant and is sold as a dietary supplement, a compounded injectable, and in some countries as a prescription drug.
Human evidence for supplemental glutathione is limited and inconsistent. Oral bioavailability was long thought negligible because intestinal peptidases hydrolyze it, and a 2011 trial found no change in blood glutathione after four weeks. A 2015 randomized trial in the European Journal of Nutrition and a 2018 liposomal study did report increases in body stores after longer supplementation. A randomized pilot of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease found no significant benefit over placebo. For skin lightening, a 2019 systematic review identified only a few small, short trials of oral and topical glutathione with modest and temporary effects, and no controlled trial of intravenous glutathione for this purpose has been published. Mechanistic and animal data far outnumber clinical outcome trials.
Regulatory status depends on route and country. In the United States, oral glutathione is a dietary supplement, while there is no FDA-approved injectable glutathione drug for any indication. Injectable glutathione marketed for skin whitening is an unapproved new drug; FDA has publicly stated that it has approved no injectable skin-lightening products, has warned that they may be unsafe, and secured a recall and permanent injunction against a US distributor of glutathione whitening kits. In 2019 FDA also reminded compounders not to use dietary-supplement-grade glutathione for sterile injectables after endotoxin-contaminated products caused fever, hypotension, and hospitalizations. Prescription glutathione injections exist in some Asian and European countries for chemotherapy-related toxicity, and inhaled glutathione has been used in cystic fibrosis research.
Glutathione oxidizes readily in solution, so compounded injectable preparations are refrigerated, protected from light, and assigned short beyond-use dates; discoloration signals degradation. Lyophilized powders for reconstitution are more stable but still handled as sterile products. Oral capsules, liposomal liquids, and sublingual forms are stored according to the manufacturer's label, generally at room temperature away from moisture. For a dose log or inventory record, the essential details are the route, the concentration and volume for injectable products, the compounding pharmacy or manufacturer, lot number, and beyond-use date, since product quality rather than the molecule itself has been the source of documented harm.
No verified PubMed or DOI link is available for this entry.
Serious or important: fever, chills, dizziness, hypotension, and sepsis-like reactions from contaminated compounded IV products.
No established general drug-interaction profile was identified; route and product quality are central.
Safety evidence sourceThese are general, pairwise evidence notes. Green identifies the potential-synergy category, while Lv3/Lv2/Lv1 communicates evidence strength; it does not guarantee benefit or cancel a safety warning.
A small clinical study in early septic shock reported lower lipid-peroxidation markers and improved clinical scores when acetylcysteine was added to glutathione.
Interaction evidence sourceRelated clinical studyFDA sterile-glutathione warningNo. FDA has not approved any injectable glutathione product for any indication, and it has stated explicitly that no injectable drugs are approved for skin whitening or lightening. Glutathione injections sold in the United States are either compounded by pharmacies under section 503A or 503B rules or are unapproved imported products. FDA has warned that injectable skin-lightening products may be unsafe and, in 2019, cautioned compounders against using supplement-grade glutathione after contaminated batches caused serious reactions.
Glutathione shifts melanin synthesis toward the lighter pheomelanin pathway in laboratory studies, which is the basis for the claim. Clinical evidence is thin: a 2019 systematic review found a handful of small trials of oral and topical glutathione showing modest, temporary lightening, with no controlled trials of the intravenous route. Dermatology reviews describe the intravenous skin-whitening practice as unsupported by evidence, and regulators in the United States and the Philippines have warned about its safety.
Earlier pharmacokinetic work suggested that oral glutathione is largely broken down in the intestine and does not raise blood levels, and a 2011 four-week trial found no change. Later studies reported increases in blood and buccal cell glutathione after several months of supplementation, and a liposomal formulation raised stores within weeks in a small study. The evidence is mixed, and increases in glutathione levels have not been linked to clinical outcomes in trials.
Documented harms come mainly from product quality and injection practice rather than the molecule. FDA has linked compounded intravenous glutathione made from non-sterile, supplement-grade powder to endotoxin reactions with fever, chills, dizziness, and hypotension requiring hospitalization. Unapproved imported kits carry risks of contamination and bloodborne infection. Case reports from countries where intravenous whitening is common describe skin reactions, thyroid and kidney effects, and allergic reactions, though controlled safety data are lacking.
Summarised from published literature for reference only, with citations to the source. Evidence is graded as reported and is not a recommendation to combine, dose, or use any compound.
For personal tracking and education only. Not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and not a medical device. Peptides may be prescription-only or unapproved where you live. Consult a licensed healthcare professional.
