Several studies have evaluated the correlation between glutathione S-transferase mu-1 (GSTM1), GST theta-1 (GSTT1) polymorphisms and oral cancer in Chinese people.However, the results are inconsistent.
Our data have provided evidence that GST polymorphism modified the susceptibility to oral cancer and individuals with variant genotypes of the three genes with tobacco habits are at significant risk of developing oral cancer.
A mini-case-control study with very small sample size showed no marked increase in the risk of developing oral cancer as the frequencies of the studied GST genotypes did not show any statistical significance.
Tobacco use, the major etiological factor for oral cancer is known to generate free radicals resulting in alterations in antioxidant enzymes like, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase as well as lipid peroxidation and total thiol.
Polymorphism in glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes, causing variations in enzyme activities, may influence susceptibility to oral cancer and leukoplakia in smokers and/or smokeless tobacco users.
This case-control study focused on the interactions between oral cancer risk factors and genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome P-450 (CYP) 2E1 and glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 and GSTT1.