Is Glutathione The Same With L-glutathione?

June 24th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

Glutathione exists in two mirror image forms of each other L- and D-. Like left and right hands, they contain the same elements and shape, but are mirrored
They are enantomers:

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  1. Comment by mant on 24 June 2009:

    Yeh, what the person above said. Normally, L-enantiomers work best at affecting the body, as these are the type of amino acids we produce. D-enantiomers can have effects ranging from non to the same amount as L, but are often much less (closer to non).
    You can work out if an amino acid is an L or D enantiomer by using the CORN method. If the amino acid is drawn out, with the ‘C’ in the middle, and the 4 side groups radiating off, then as you read around clock wise, L-enantiomers will read:
    CH3, OH, R group, NH2
    Where the R group is the hydrocarbon chain attached to the amino acid. The reason its CORN is it is C(H3), O(H), R (group), N(H2).
    D-enantiomers will read CORN anit-clockiwse. It may seem like these are the same molecules, but they are not. They are the mirror image of one another, and so cannot be superimposed onto one another, and so are different molecules, but with exactly the same formula (like glucose and fructose are the same formula, but different molecules).
    Hope this helps, email me any q’s
    Ashley

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