Simultaneous thiol-disulfide homeostasis in both erythrocytes and serum: a critical narrative review
Turkish Journal of Biochemistry, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1515/tjb-2025-0444
- Dergi Adı: Turkish Journal of Biochemistry
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Applied Science & Technology Source, EMBASE, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Directory of Open Access Journals, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: erythrocytes, glutathione, oxidative stress, serum, thiol disulfide homeostasis
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This review aims to synthesize clinical studies that concurrently evaluate extracellular (serum) and intracellular (erythrocyte) thiol-disulfide homeostasis (TDH) using standardized colorimetric assays to clarify systemic oxidative stress patterns. The narrative review integrates findings from 10 human observational studies across different disorders. The included studies simultaneously measured serum disulfide to native thiol (SS/SH) ratios and erythrocyte oxidized to reduced glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratios in the same individuals. A consistent oxidative shift, featuring decreased thiols and increased disulfides, was observed in both compartments across all examined diseases. However, compartmental dominance is disease-specific. Intracellular glutathione imbalances demonstrated stronger clinical associations in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, subacute stroke and diabetic retinopathy. Conversely, extracellular TDH alterations were more prominent in subclinical hypothyroidism, small-for-gestational-age pregnancies, and substance use disorders. Sepsis states exhibited parallel disturbances without clear predominance. Simultaneous evaluation of erythrocyte and serum TDH provides complementary, compartment-specific insights into disease pathophysiology. Future prospective validation studies are required to establish these indices as prognostic biomarkers and to guide personalized antioxidant therapies.