Glutathione and related enzymes in Egyptian bladder cancer patients

ABSTRACT

Enzymes metabolizing foreign compounds may modify the risk of chemically induced bladder cancer. The aim of the present work was to determine the level of detoxifying macromolecules and activities of detoxifying enzymes, namely; glutathione [GSH], glutathione S-transferase pie [pi-GST], glutathione peroxidase [GPx], and glutathione reductase [GR] in blood of bladder cancer patients; as well as; groups at high risk for this type of cancer who are subjected to environmental chemical pollution such as smoking and biological pollution such as schistosomiasis. The ultimate goal of the study is to search among these parameters for a marker that could be of value in detection of bladder cancer or at least might have a role in selecting individuals that are at high risk for bladder cancer. A total of eighty individuals were included in the present study. They were divided into 4 groups Healthy normal subjects as control group, Smoking group, Schistosomal patients group, and Bladder cancer patients group. All the parameters were determined either by spectrophotometric or ELISA technique. Glutathione level, Pi-GST and GR activities were slightly elevated among smokers and schistosomal patients. Nevertheless, their levels were highly significantly elevated in sera of bladder cancer patients as compared with their corresponding levels among the other groups [p<0.001]. Beside, pi-GST was elevated in cases with squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] more than those with transitional cell carcinoma [TCC]. However, GPx showed no significant changes among all investigated groups [p=0.122]. We suggest that the values of GSH, pi-GST and GR activities could be added to tumor markers for bladder cancer detection, or at least for indicating groups who are at high risk to put them under medical surveillance