Nullity of GSTT1/GSTM1 related to pesticides is associated with Parkinson's disease.

Genetic and environmental factors affect the pathogenesis of Parkinson's
disease (PD). Genetic variants of the enzyme glutathione S-transferases
(GST) may be related to the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the
influence of genetic variants of GST (GSTT1/GSTM1) and their association
with the exposure to environmental toxins in PD patients. We studied
254 patients with PD and 169 controls. The GSTM1/GSTT1 variants were
analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. We applied the Fisher's exact
test and the χ2 test for statistical analysis (p<0.05). The present
and absence for GSTT1 and GSTM1 were similar in patients and controls.
The null for GSTT1 and GSTM1 (0/0) and exposure to pesticides prevailed
in patients (18%) compared to controls (13%, p=0.014). This study
suggests the association between PD and previous exposure to pesticides,
whose effect may be enhanced in combination with null for GSTT1/GSTM1.

No comments: