Functional polymorphisms of the GSTT-1 gene do not predict the severity of acute pancreatitis in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory response to pancreatic injury that is clinically classified as mild AP or severe AP, depending on specific criteria. Rahman and colleagues [Gastroenterology 2004;126:1312-1322] reported that genetic variation in the glutathione S-transferase theta-1 gene (GSTT-1) is associated with susceptibility and severity of AP in England. Our aim was to determine whether the same GSTT-1 polymorphism affects the severity of AP in a population from Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.


METHODS
Ninety-one consecutive patients with AP (19 severe) were prospectively evaluated. The GSTT-1 haplotypes were determined by PCR amplification in all patients and 268 controls. The resulting genotypes were classified as functional (GSTT-1*A/*A or *A/null) and nonfunctional (GSTT-1 null/null) phenotypes.


RESULTS
The relative frequencies of functional GSTT-1 phenotypes were similar in subjects with severe AP (15 of 19, 78.9%) and mild AP (61 of 72, 84.7%; p = 0.54) and in the controls (228 of 268, 85.1%; p = 0.66). Furthermore, the GSTT-1 functional and nonfunctional phenotypes were not associated with serum C-reactive protein levels (11.9 vs. 7.3 mg/dl; p = 0.19), interleukin-6 levels (74 vs. 60 pg/ml; p = 0.9), APACHE II scores (7 vs. 9; p = 0.26), or 48-hour Ranson scores (1 vs. 1; p = 0.63).


CONCLUSIONS
Functional GSTT-1 phenotypes do not correlate with susceptibility to AP or severity of AP in our patient population.
Bhat
Yasser M
YM
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Papachristou
Georgios I
GI
Park
James S
JS
Lamb
Janette
J
Slivka
Adam
A
Whitcomb
David C
DC
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011446:Prospective Studies
C413545:glutathione S-transferase T1; D005982:Glutathione Transferase