Investigating a Ligand-receptor Role for Glutathione in Angiogenesis.

In addition to its classic antioxidant role, GSH appears to act extracellularly to influence EC activity. GSH caused significant increases in EC branching as measured by the tube formation assay. With the use of a selective CaSR inhibitor, we were able to confirm the contribution of CaSR to this effect. Additionally, GSH influenced EC migration in the under agarose assay. These results could be explained by GSH-CaSR-mediated alterations in endothelial differentiation. These results suggest a role for GSH in vascular development and angiogenesis, through a ligand interaction with the CaSR G-protein coupled receptor, which represents a novel mechanism of action for physiological and pathological blood vessel development.