TITLE:
Enhanced Absorption of Glutathione with Liposomal Delivery: A Randomised Double-Blind Crossover Absorption Study
AUTHORS:
David Briskey, Sandra Rahman, Shilpa Raut, Chervin Jafarieh, Amanda Rao
KEYWORDS:
Glutathione, GSH, Absorption, Plasma Exposure, Liposomal Delivery
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.17 No.10,
October
10,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Glutathione is an intracellular antioxidant with critical roles in redox regulation, detoxification, and immune function. However, oral glutathione supplementation typically has poor bioavailability. Liposomal delivery systems have been developed to address these limitations by enhancing compound stability and facilitating absorption. Methods: The present study aimed to compare the absorption profile of a liposomal glutathione formulation (Cymbiotika) with a standard oral comparator in healthy adults. In this randomised, double-blind, crossover trial, participants received single doses of both formulations in random order, separated by a washout period of at least 14 days. Blood samples were collected before dosing and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours after dosing. Plasma total glutathione exposure was evaluated using baseline-corrected incremental area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 hours (iAUC0-24h), with negative values set to zero to isolate net exposure above baseline. Secondary outcomes included maximum concentration (Cmax) and time to maximum concentration (Tmax). Results: Fourteen participants completed the study. The liposomal formulation resulted in increased absorption, with an approximately three-fold higher iAUC0-24h compared to the comparator (16.3 vs 5.6 µM∙h). Peak concentration was also higher for the liposomal formulation (0.83 vs 0.35 µM), with both formulations reaching peak concentrations at approximately 8 hours post-dose. The liposomal formulation exhibited a broader and more sustained absorption profile. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that liposomal delivery significantly enhances absorption of orally administered total glutathione. This supports the use of lipid-based delivery technologies to increase relative plasma exposure of compounds with otherwise limited oral absorption.