Oxidized glutathione is very difficult to detect because it is rapidly turned over and converted, so there is only a low amount present at any one time. In some cases, it is possible that the level of oxidized glutathione is below the detection limit. One possible solution to the problem of potentially negative values is to include 4-Vinylpyridine in the negative control (no GSSG or cell extract) at the same proportion as in the test samples. This may entail making serial dilutions of the negative control in the same way as the test samples.