POLYMORPHISMS OF THE GSTT-1*A GENE DO NOT PREDICT SEVERITY OF ACUTE PANCREATITIS IN THE U.S. POPULATION

Abstract

Background & Aims: Acute pancreatitis (AP) reflects the intensity of the inflammatory response and is divided into mild AP (MAP) or severe AP (SAP). Recent data suggests that genetic variation in functional gene polymorphisms of Glutathione S-Transferase theta-1 (GSTT-1*A) may help explain varying biological responses to AP. Our aim was to determine whether the GSTT-1*A polymorphism affects the severity of AP. Methods: 91 consecutive patients with AP (19 severe) and 268 controls were evaluated. The GSTT-1*A functional genotype was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction amplification, and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: The functional GSTT-1*A polymorphism was not significantly different in SAP (15 of 19; 78.9%) as compared to MAP (61 of 72; 84.7%; p = 0.54) and controls (228 of 268; 85.1%; p = 0.66). The functional GSTT-1*A genotype was not associated with elevated peak serum CRP (11.9 mg/dl vs 7.3 mg/dl; p = 0.19), IL-6 (74 vs 60; p = 0.9), APACHE II scores (7 vs 9; p = 0.26) or 48 hour Ranson scores (1 vs 1; p = 0.63) when compared to the GSTT-1 null genotype. Conclusions: The functional GSTT-1*A polymorphism is not associated with severe attacks of acute pancreatitis in the United States population. The prevalence of the functional GSTT-1*A polymorphism is higher in the more heterogenous US population when compared to the UK population.