Glutathione depletion and oxidative stress: study with perfused bovine eye.

A bovine eye perfusion system was developed for detoxification studies. The viability of the system was examined by two criteria: the permeability of the aqueous-blood barrier to protein, and the turnover of aqueous humor formation. Although the usefulness of the system for physiological studies is limited, the bovine eye perfusion system proved to be useful for biochemical studies of detoxification. When the system was perfused with t-butyl hydroperoxide plus the glutathione reductase inhibitor nitrofurantoin, glutathione levels of the ciliary body and iris were markedly reduced. The result was interpreted to suggest that glutathione and its redox cycling may play an important role in cellular defense against oxidative stress.