Protective Effects of Thiols on Carcinogenesis Induced in Rats by 2-Acetylaminofluorene

Aminothiols play a fundamental role in the physiology of the living cell. The most abundant and best studied compound of this class is glutathione (GSH). It is considered of paramount importance for many functions, such as amino acids transport, protein and DNA synthesis, membrane structure and activity (for thorough reviews see refs. 1 and 2). Moreover, GSH being a nucleophilic compound, it hampers alterations induced by reactive oxygen species and by endogenous or exogenous metabolites (for a review see ref. 3). Depletion of hepatic GSH levels affects a number of biochemical functions, as well as the efficiency of the cell response to physically or chemically induced injuries (3,4).