The core principle describes a coupled metabolic system wherein Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) within the hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt generates NADPH to serve as an obligatory electron donor for glutathione reductase. This enzymatic mechanism facilitates the reduction of oxidized glutathione to its active reduced form, which subsequently mediates cellular defense against oxidative stress and free radical toxicity via peroxide detoxification. The theory posits that a failure in this specific biochemical cycle due to G6PD deficiency or external oxidative insults leads to unchecked intracellular oxidation, denaturation of hemoglobin (Heinz bodies), and subsequent erythrocyte lysis by splenic macrophages.
The core principle describes a coupled metabolic system wherein Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) within the hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt generates NADPH to serve as an obligatory electron…