S-glutathionylation, friend or foe in cardiovascular health and disease

Glutathione is a low molecular weight thiol that is present at high levels in the cell. The high levels of glutathione in the cell make it one of the most abundant antioxidants contributing to cellular redox homeostasis. As a general rule, throughout cardiovascular disease and progression there is an imbalance in redox homeostasis characterized by reactive oxygen species overproduction and glutathione underproduction. As research into these imbalances continues, glutathione concentrations are increasingly being observed to drive various physiological and pathological signaling responses. Interestingly in addition to acting directly as an antioxidant, glutathione is capable of post translational modifications (S-glutathionylation) of proteins through both chemical interactions and enzyme mediated events. This review will discuss both the chemical and enzyme-based S-glutathionylation of proteins involved in cardiovascular pathologies and angiogenesis.