Abstract

ASSOCIATION OF GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS IN GSTT1, GSTM1 GENES IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AND NEPHROPATHY IN SOUTH INDIAN POPULATION

M. A. Jaleel Tabrez, *Kaiser Jamil, Sindhu Joshi and Uma Devi M.

ABSTRACT

Oxidative stress has been implicated as a critical factor in pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its complications Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). Our aim was to evaluate the frequency of null polymorphisms in GSTT1 and GSTM1 genes, members of class II detoxification enzymes, in a South Indian population and their association with DR and DN in T2DM. Blood samples were collected from 63 T2DM patients with DR and/or DN and from 50 healthy controls. After genomic DNA extraction, multiplex PCR assay was performed using specific primers and various clinic-pathological parameters were correlated. Our results suggest that the frequency of null polymorphisms in GSTM1 and GSTT1 were higher in patients (32% and 48% respectively) when compared to controls (16% and 28% respectively). Overall, GSTT1 null polymorphism was significantly associated with diabetes when compared to controls (p=0.039). Interestingly, a large percentage of the female patients were dyslipidemic (64.86%). In conclusion, our study indicates that patients with null polymorphisms in GSTM1 and GSTT1 may have adverse pathophysiological effects which could contribute to DN and DR complications in T2DM.

Keywords: GSTM1, GSTT1, null polymorphism, diabetes retinopathy, diabetes nephropathy, type 2 diabetes mellitus