The Prognostic Significance of Intracellular Glutathione and Extracellular Thiol-Disulfide Homeostasis Patients with Bladder Tumors

Abstract

Objective: This research focused on evaluating the relationship between intracellular oxidized/reduced glutathione levels and extracellular thiol-disulfide parameters in patients with bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: This case-control studyinitially included 63 patients with a diagnosis of bladder urothelial carcinoma. Following the exclusion of participants who did not satisfy the predefined inclusion criteria, 54 patients remained eligible and were matched with an equal number of healthy controls. Levels of intracellular glutathione and extracellular thiol-disulfide markers were analyzed and compared between patients and healthy controls. Results: The patient and control groups demonstrated similar demographic profiles. The patients exhibited significantly lower levels of total thiol, native thiol, and reduced glutathione compared to controls, while disulfide, oxidized glutathione, the SS/SH ratio, and the GSSG/GSH ratio were significantly elevated (p < 0.05). Subgroup analysis further revealed that individuals with low-grade bladder cancer had markedly higher total and native thiol levels than those with high-grade tumors (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings suggest that increased disulfide levels and oxidized glutathione, along with decreased thiol and reduced glutathione, may indicate tumor presence. Furthermore, the decline in total and native thiol levels observed with increasing tumor grade may serve as a potential indicator of disease progression. To confirm these observations and clarify their potential clinical implications, further in-depth research is required.