The antioxidant glutathione helps recycle which vitamins in the body?

• A. B1 and B12
• B. A and C
• C. C and D
• D. C and E

Answer: (D)

Glutathione powers redox recycling of antioxidants in the body. Vitamin E protects membranes by donating electrons to lipid radicals, but in the process it becomes the tocopheroxyl radical. Vitamin C then donates electrons to regenerate vitamin E back to its active form, becoming dehydroascorbate. Glutathione plays a key role by reducing dehydroascorbate back to ascorbate, using its own reducing power and producing oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in the process. GSSG is then recycled back to glutathione (GSH) by glutathione reductase, using NADPH, so the cycle can continue. Because this glutathione-dependent pathway regenerates vitamin C, which in turn regenerates vitamin E, glutathione helps recycle both vitamins C and E.

Other vitamins listed aren’t involved in this specific regeneration cycle coordinated by glutathione, so they aren’t the pair that’s recycled in this manner.