Description
Gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) is important in maintaining intracellular glutathione (GSH), a major antioxidant in several defence mechanisms and is a marker of oxidative stress. Thiol cysteinyl-glycine produced by the cleavage of GSH by GGT, can reduce ferric iron to ferrous iron and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), consisting of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and thiyl radicals, which can act as a prooxidant that can lead to potentially harmful oxidation reactions. GGT is a predictor of type 2 diabetes and hypertension and a prognostic indicator in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). In prospective studies GGT has shown to be an indicator of morbidity and all cause mortality even at levels considered to be within the reference range after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors.
