Glutathione S-transferase Mu phenotype in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and in unaffected controls

Spigelman, A. D., Nugent, K. P., Penna, C., Foulds, S. and Phillips, R. K.S. (1994) Glutathione S-transferase Mu phenotype in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and in unaffected controls. Cancer Detection and Prevention, 18 (4), 253-258.

Abstract

Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) are at high risk for duodenal tumors, the distribution of which suggests that bile is important in their development. Studies of the bile of FAP patients suggest that it contains an excess of active carcinogens. Defective hepatic metabolism of carcinogens might account for these findings. The isozyme glutathione S-transferase mu (GST-mu) plays a major role in the hepatic metabolism of carcinogens. Peripheral blood GST-mu status reflects hepatic GST-mu status. The concentration of GST-mu was therefore measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of heparinized peripheral blood samples taken from 31 unrelated patients with FAP and from 38 unrelated control patients. FAP and control patients were matched for age, sex, diet, and smoking status. The median GST-mu concentration (micrograms per milliliter) was 0.5 (interquartile range, 0 to 11.6) in the FAP group and 8.85 (0.9 to 29.4, p = 0.0013) in the control group. Of the 31 FAP patients, ten had no detectable GST-mu activity compared with only one of the 38 controls (p = 0.002), while 71% of FAP patients had GST-mu concentrations less than a supplied positive control, compared with 50% of control patients (p = 0.064). Abnormal hepatic metabolism of carcinogens by GST-mu might contribute to the development of intestinal tumors in patients with FAP.

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