Micronuclei, genetic polymorphisms and cardiovascular disease mortality in a nested case-control study in Italy.
OBJECTIVE
To validate the predictive value of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) polymorphisms (GSTM1 and GSTT1) for mortality risk (MR) of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).


METHODS
Blood samples from 1650 healthy subjects selected from the general population were collected between June 1991 and November 1993, and slides were immediately prepared for MN assessment. The vital status, or the cause of death, was monitored for all subjects until January 2005. At the end of the follow-up, 111 deaths were recorded and 39 CVD cases were observed (age range=42-88 years). Two thousand binucleated (BN) cells/subject were scored for the MN assay and GSTs genotypes were assessed on the DNA extracted from the blood or serum samples.


RESULTS
A significantly higher MN frequency was recorded for the case group in comparison with the control group (n=67, Kruskall-Wallis test, p=0.006) and GSTT1 null genotype was significantly less frequent in CVD patients (chi(2)-test, p=0.036). The influence of other factors were evaluated using a unconditional logistic regression that confirmed a significant association of GSTT1 positive genotype with an increased OR for CVD (OR=6.29, 95% CI 1.32-29.95) beside a significant effect of age (OR=1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.26 year(-1)). Finally, subjects with an higher MN frequency showed a higher MR for CVD (Log-rank test, p=0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
MN confirmed to be a suitable cytogenetic biomarker for early prediction of CVD death. The GSTT1 positive genotype is associated with an increased MR for CVD.
Murgia
Elena
E
Department of Biology, Pisa University, Pisa, Italy.
Maggini
Valentina
V
Barale
Roberto
R
Rossi
Anna Maria
AM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
C413545:glutathione S-transferase T1; D005982:Glutathione Transferase