ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) is a phase II metabolism enzyme and plays an important role in the detoxification of various chemicals. Recently, the genetic background of Kawasaki disease has been investigated by some researchers and significant results were documented. To demonstrate genetic background of pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD), we examined the genetic polymorphism of Glutathione-S-transferase in KD patients. METHODS: Sixty-seven Korean children with Kawasaki disease and 252 Korean healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The polymorphisms of GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene were analyzed. RESULTS: The distribution of GSTM1 polymorphism between Kawasaki disease patients and controls was not significantly different [2=0.6479, P=0.4209; odds ratios (95% confidence intervals)=0.8004 (0.4651-1.3772)]. However, the distribution of GSTT1 polymorphism was significantly different between two groups [2=18.7898, P<0.0001; odds ratios (95% confidence intervals)=4.1009 (2.0950- 8.0274)]. In the combined analysis of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes, the frequency of both null type of GSTM1/T1 genes was significantly different from both positive type of GSTM1/T1 genes [2= 8.2528, P=0.0041; odds ratios (95% confidence intervals)=4.1486 (1.4846-11.5927)]. The group of the GSTM1 positive and GSTT null type also showed significantly different from both positive type of GSTM1/T1 genes [2=17.3479, P<0.0001; odds ratios (95% confidence intervals)=6.9143 (2.5387- 18.8314)]. CONCLUSION: These results indicates that the polymorphisms of GSTT1 gene might be a susceptible factor in development of Kawasaki disease in Koreans.