PATENT NO. US 8,501,700 B2 · BSCG CERTIFIED · 185 PUBLISHED STUDIES

The Science of RiboCeine

40 years of research. One patented molecule. One published clinical trial showing a 64.7% increase in glutathione in 28 days. This is the complete scientific case for Cellgevity.

+64.7% Glutathione increase in 28 days (ages 51–60)
185 Published studies on RiboCeine and related compounds
40 Years of research by Dr. Herbert T. Nagasawa, Ph.D.
200,019 PubMed citations on glutathione as of January 2026

THE INVENTOR

Dr. Herbert T. Nagasawa, Ph.D.

Senior Career Scientist at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. Author of over 185 published papers. Creator of RiboCeine.

“There is not even 1mg of glutathione in Cellgevity. This is intentional — and it is what makes all the difference. The goal was never to supplement glutathione. The goal was to enable your cells to produce their own.”

Dr. Herbert T. Nagasawa, Ph.D.

Inventor of RiboCeine · US Patent No. US 8,501,700 B2

Dr. Nagasawa explains the science behind RiboCeine and why intracellular glutathione production is fundamentally different from supplementation.

About Dr. Nagasawa

Institution University of Minnesota & US Department of Veterans Affairs
Specialisation Medicinal Chemistry · Cysteine Prodrugs · Oxidative Stress
Published Papers 185+ peer-reviewed publications over a 40-year career
Patent US Patent No. US 8,501,700 B2 — RiboCeine (D-ribose-L-cysteine)
Years of Research Approximately 40 years studying cysteine delivery and intracellular glutathione biosynthesis
Core Insight Oral glutathione cannot survive digestion. Cells must be given the precursor — Cysteine — to synthesise it themselves.

THE MECHANISM

Why Oral Glutathione Fails — And Why RiboCeine Does Not

The bioavailability problem with glutathione supplements is not a formulation problem. It is a fundamental molecular biology problem. RiboCeine solves it at the cellular level.

Oral Glutathione Supplements

1

Ingestion

A glutathione capsule or tablet is swallowed. The glutathione molecule (a tripeptide of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine) enters the digestive system.

2

Enzymatic Breakdown

Peptidase enzymes in the digestive tract cleave the tripeptide bonds. Glutathione is broken down into its three individual amino acids before it reaches the bloodstream.

3

Failed Cellular Uptake

Even if trace intact glutathione reaches circulation, cells lack a mechanism to transport intact glutathione molecules across the cell membrane. It cannot enter where it is needed.

4

Result: No Meaningful Increase

Multiple studies show oral glutathione supplementation does not meaningfully raise intracellular glutathione levels, the only metric that matters for cellular health.

RiboCeine (Cellgevity)

1

Protected Delivery

RiboCeine bonds D-ribose (a natural sugar) with L-cysteine, forming a stable molecular carrier. This bond protects the cysteine molecule from oxidation and degradation in the digestive tract.

2

Intact Absorption

The RiboCeine molecule is absorbed intact through the intestinal wall and transported via the bloodstream. The ribose component leverages natural nucleoside transport pathways.

3

Intracellular Release

Inside the cell, the D-ribose and L-cysteine separate. The cell now has the Cysteine it needs — the rate-limiting precursor for glutathione biosynthesis via the gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase pathway.

4

Fresh Glutathione Synthesised

Your cell produces its own fresh glutathione — intracellularly, in the exact form, concentration, and location your mitochondria and cytoplasm require. +64.7% in 28 days.

US Patent No. US 8,501,700 B2

The RiboCeine compound — formally D-ribose-L-cysteine — is a patented molecular technology. The patent covers the synthesis, composition, and method of use of ribose-cysteine conjugates for the purpose of raising intracellular glutathione levels. It was granted to Dr. Nagasawa following decades of research into cysteine prodrug delivery and is exclusively licensed to Max International for use in Cellgevity.

Why Cysteine Is the Key

The Glutathione Tripeptide

Glutathione is composed of three amino acids: glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. Glutamate and glycine are abundant in the body. Cysteine is the bottleneck. Its availability directly determines the rate of glutathione synthesis.

Why Cysteine Is Scarce

L-cysteine is unstable in its free form — it oxidises rapidly in the digestive system and bloodstream, converting to L-cystine before it can be utilised. This instability is precisely the problem RiboCeine was designed to overcome.

The Ribose Bond

D-ribose, a naturally occurring pentose sugar involved in ATP and nucleotide synthesis, forms a stable glycosidic bond with cysteine. This bond protects cysteine from oxidation while simultaneously facilitating cellular uptake via nucleoside transporters.

Intracellular Release

Once inside the cell, cytoplasmic conditions trigger the controlled release of cysteine from the ribose carrier. The cell then uses gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (the primary rate-limiting enzyme in glutathione synthesis) to produce GSH in exactly the quantity the cell can use.

UNISUL CLINICAL TRIAL &�iddot; PROTOCOL #6.597.558 · 2023

The Clinical Trial: Full Results

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial conducted at the University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Brazil. Approved by the institutional Ethics Committee. Published 2023.

Study Methodology

Study Design Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised
Duration 28 days (4 weeks)
Participants Healthy adults, ages 35–60
Ethics Approval UNISUL Ethics Committee, Protocol #6.597.558 (2023)
Intervention 250mg RiboCeine daily (4 capsules) vs. placebo
Primary Endpoint Change in blood glutathione levels (erythrocyte GSH) from baseline at Day 28
Population Healthy adults with no diagnosed conditions — demonstrating effects in a non-depleted population
Institution University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Brazil

Results at 28 Days

-3.2%

Placebo Group

Ages 35–60 · 28 days

Even healthy adults without supplementation experienced a measurable decline in glutathione over the 28-day period. This confirms the constant oxidative drain on glutathione reserves in normal daily life.

+26.6%

RiboCeine Group

Ages 35–60 · 28 days

Average increase across all adult participants in the active arm. In healthy, non-depleted adults, a 26.6% increase in glutathione in four weeks represents a substantial cellular change.

+64.7%

RiboCeine Group

Ages 51–60 · 28 days

The most remarkable finding: older participants showed dramatically greater response. This is consistent with the theory that individuals with more depleted baseline levels have greater capacity for restoration. Those who need it most benefit most.

Why These Results Matter

Healthy Adults, Not Patients

Most supplement trials use participants with known deficiencies or medical conditions — where any effect is magnified. The UNISUL trial used healthy adults. A 26.6% increase in people who were already healthy demonstrates a powerful baseline effect, not just a correction of deficiency.

Double-Blind Design

Neither participants nor researchers knew who received the active compound versus placebo during the trial. This eliminates placebo effect and researcher bias — the two most common sources of inflated results in supplement research. The results cannot be attributed to expectation.

Age-Stratified Results

The fact that participants aged 51–60 showed 64.7% increases versus 26.6% average across all ages is scientifically significant. It aligns precisely with the known age-related decline in glutathione production — older participants have more depleted cells that respond more dramatically to restored Cysteine availability.

Placebo Decline Confirms Oxidative Load

The -3.2% decline in the placebo group over just 28 days quantifies the ongoing oxidative depletion your body experiences in normal daily life. At that rate of decline, the cumulative loss over years and decades becomes substantial. RiboCeine does not merely slow this decline — it reverses it.

Healthy adults only. Results shown are from the UNISUL 2023 clinical trial. Individual results may vary. Cellgevity does not claim to treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition.

PUBMED · US GOVERNMENT MEDICAL LIBRARY

The Most Researched Antioxidant in Medical History

Glutathione is not a fringe wellness trend. It is the most studied antioxidant molecule in biomedical research — with over 200,000 peer-reviewed citations on the US Government's official medical research database.

200,019 Total PubMed citations on glutathione (as of January 2026)
12,097 Average new glutathione studies added to PubMed every single day since 1983
185 Peer-reviewed papers specifically on RiboCeine and related cysteine prodrug compounds

Glutathione vs. Other Antioxidants: Research Volume

Glutathione
200,019
Vitamin C
82,080
Vitamin E
49,878
CoQ10
18,720
Resveratrol
14,390

Source: PubMed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Data as at 20 January 2026.

A Molecule at the Centre of Medical Science

1888

Glutathione first isolated by J. de Rey-Pailhade. Its significance was not yet understood.

1921

Frederick Gowland Hopkins identifies the tripeptide structure. Research into its biological role begins in earnest.

1970s

Dr. Nagasawa begins his research at the University of Minnesota into cysteine delivery and intracellular glutathione biosynthesis.

1990s

Glutathione’s role in immune function, detoxification, and mitochondrial health becomes established in peer-reviewed literature.

2010

US Patent No. US 8,501,700 B2 granted for RiboCeine (D-ribose-L-cysteine). Cellgevity launched commercially.

2023

UNISUL publishes the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of RiboCeine. +64.7% glutathione in 28 days confirmed.

See the Science Explained

A detailed explanation of the RiboCeine mechanism, the science of glutathione, and why intracellular production is the only approach that works.

The evidence is publicly available. Every claim on this page can be verified independently on PubMed — the US Government’s official medical research database, maintained by the National Institutes of Health.

Search PubMed for glutathione research →

START YOUR CELLULAR HEALTH JOURNEY

The Research Is Clear. The Results Are Documented.

40 years of research. 185 published studies. One clinical trial showing a 64.7% increase in 28 days. If you have read this far, you understand the science. The next step is experiencing it.

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