Erythrocyte Glutathione Transferase Research Articles

Erythrocyte Glutathione Transferase is A Sensitive Marker of Hemodialysis Adequacy

Erythrocyte Glutathione Transferase is A Sensitive Marker of Hemodialysis Adequacy

Animal Biomonitoring for the Surveillance of Environment Affected by the Presence of Slight Contamination by β-HCH.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of hidden environmental pollution on some blood parameters of sheep to detect susceptible biomarkers able to reveal slight contamination. Four dairy sheep farms, two with semi-extensive and two with intensive type systems were involved in this study. Two farms in different systems were chosen as properly located in a southern area of Latium (Italy), close to the Sacco River, in which contamination with β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) occurred in the past due to industrial waste. A recent study established the presence of low but detectable residual contamination in these areas. The other two farms were outside the contaminated area. Erythrocyte glutathione transferase (e-GST) and oxidative stress parameters were monitored as well as some immune response and metabolic profile parameters throughout the investigated period of four months. The present study showed a relevant and significant increase in e-GST (+63%) in the extensive farming system of the contaminated area, whereas some immune response biomarkers, i.e., white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and lysozyme resulted within the physiological range. In all farms, oxidative stress and acute phase response parameters were also within the physiological range. Our results suggest that e-GST is a very effective alarm signal to reveal “hidden” persistent contamination by β-HCH, and reasonably, by many other different dangerous pollutants.

Assessment of Clinical Utility of Erythrocyte Glutathione Transferase as Biomarker of Hemodialysis Adequacy in pediatrics

Assessment of Clinical Utility of Erythrocyte Glutathione Transferase as Biomarker of Hemodialysis Adequacy in pediatrics

A Pilot Study of a Natural Food Supplement as New Possible Therapeutic Approach in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

The identification of natural bioactive compounds, able to counteract the abnormal increase of oxidative stress and inflammatory status in chronic degenerative non-communicable diseases is useful for the clinical management of these conditions. We tested an oral food supplement (OFS), chemically characterized and evaluated for in vitro and in vivo activity. Vitamin C, analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD), was 0.19 mg/g in rosehip dry extract and 15.74 mg/capsule in the OFS. The identification of polyphenols was performed by HPLC-DAD; the total antioxidant capacity was assessed by Folin–Ciocalteu test. Total polyphenols were 14.73 mg/g gallic acid equivalents (GAE) for rosehip extract and 1.93 mg/g GAE for OFS. A total of 21 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and 10 healthy volunteers were recruited. The evaluation of routine laboratory and inflammatory parameters, erythrocyte glutathione transferase (e-GST), human oxidized serum albumin (HSAox), and assessment of body composition were performed at two different times, at baseline and after 5 weeks of OFS assumption. In the study, we highlighted a significant decrease of traditional inflammatory biomarkers (such as C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, platelet to lymphocyte ratio) and other laboratory parameters like e-GST, azotaemia, and albuminuria after OFS treatment in CKD patients. Moreover, we demonstrated a lipid profile improvement in CKD patients after OFS supplementation.

In Vitro Inhibition Effect and Molecular Docking Study of Curcumin, Resveratrol, and Quercetin on Human Erythrocyte Glutathione Transferase

Background:Chemotherapy has shown varying success rates in the treatment of metastatic cancer in the last 50 years. One of the problems in the use of many chemotherapeutic agents is to increase the expression of glutathione transferase enzyme (GST; EC 2.5.1.18). Therefore, the development of GST inhibitors is important to improve the effectiveness of antitumor drugs and to overcome multi-drug resistance.Introduction:Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a major member of enzymes serving in the detoxification of exogenous and endogenous substances. But, it has been reported that GSTs are overexpressed in many tumour cells, and it has been found to be related to developing resistance to anticancer drugs by these cells. The development of GST inhibitors is important to increase the efficacy of antitumor drugs and overcome multi-drug resistance. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of natural compounds including curcumin, resveratrol, and quercetin on GST enzyme activity. We also aimed to specify inhibition mechanism of the compounds on human erythrocytes GST (hGST) with in silico study.Method:GST was purified from human erythrocytes using affinity chromatography (glutathione agarose). The enzyme purity was checked with SDS-PAGE. After the inhibitory effect of the curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol was investigated. Lastly, inhibition mechanisms of these natural compound were identified with induced-fit docking method.Result:GST was purified with 19.31% yield from human erythrocytes. In inhibition studies, Ki values of curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol were determined as 0.0021 ± 0.0008, 0.0257 ± 0.0011, 663.3301 ± 0.0936 µM respectively. According to our results, all natural products showed the inhibition effect and the order of inhibition is as follows: curcumin ˃ quercetin ˃ resveratrol.Conclusion:According to the results of the in vitro and in silico studies, it can be said that curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol are the inhibitors of human erythrocyte GST. In conclusion, these observations may be of great importance for the potential use of these natural compounds as chemopreventive agents.

SAT-241 ERYTHROCYTE GLUTATHIONE TRANSFERASE: A PROMISING MARKER FOR HEMODIALYSIS ADEQUACY

Identification of new clinical indicators for ideal dialysis is an interest. Erythrocyte glutathione transferase (e-GST) is non-dialyzable enzyme compartmentalized in the red cells. It may act as ligandins by binding and sequestering a variety of small or large toxic compounds and peptides. The aim of the study was to verify whether e-GST is able to assess hemodialysis adequacy among different treatment modalities, as a complementary to the Kt/V urea parameter. This cross sectional study included 20 ESRD patients on conventional HD, 20 ESRD patients on HDF (for at least 6 month), and 20 healthy subjects as control. Patients with Hyperbilirubinemia and Chronic liver disease were excluded. Serum e-GST was measured for all patients and for control group. Kt/V and URR were calculated for all patients. Serum e-GST can predict inadequate dialysis at cut off value >14 ng/ml with area under curve (AUC) 0.871, sensitivity 95%, specificity 60%, PPV 70.4% and NPV 92.3%. The marker e-Gst was significantly high in patients on conventional HD and HDF (mean ±SD 18.35±5.61, 15.20±4.40) respectively compared with control subjects (mean ±SD 2.80±1.36) P value <0.0001. Post hoc analysis showed significant difference between control and both conventional and HDF patients (P <0.0001, 0.0001) respectively while no significant differences between conventional HD and HDF patients P value (0.061) were observed. Patients was redistributed according to kt/v. The prevalence of e-GST level in patients with inadequate dialysis (Kt/V ≤ 1.3) was 95 %( 19 patients) while it was 40% (8 patients) in patients with Kt/V > 1.3 with P-value (0.001). The patients who have elevated e-GST are at higher risk for inadequate dialysis (odds ratio: 28.5). Patients with kt/v ≤1.3 have significantly lower URR and higher e-Gst (mean ±SD 62.07±6.28, 20.05±4.35) respectively compared with kt/v >1.3 (mean ±SD 75.78±4.36, 13.5±3.82) respectively (p value 0.0001, 0.0001) respectively. In conventional HD and HDF e-Gst was negatively correlated with kt/v and URR (kt/v r=-0.746, -0.790 P<0.0001, 0.0001) respectively, (URR -0.714,-0.771 P<0.0001, 0.0001) respectively. Erythrocyte glutathione transferase appears to be a sensitive marker for assessment hemodialysis adequacy among different treatment modalities. In addition, it has the advantage of being easily measured and not requiring complex calculations for interpretation as compared to other methods such as URR and Kt/V.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase in kidney transplantation: a probe for kidney detoxification efficiency

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase (e-GST) is overexpressed in case of increased blood toxicity and its level correlates with the kidney disease progression. Thus, it represents a probe of kidney efficiency against circulating toxins. We measured the activity of e-GST in patients with transplant kidney from living and cadaver donors, correlated its level to biochemical parameters of kidney function, and measured the level of oxidized albumin as a probe of oxidative stress using a new simple procedure. Interestingly, the activity of e-GST in transplant patients from cadaver donors (N = 153) is very high (11.7 U/gHb) compared to healthy subjects (N = 80) ( 5.6 U/gHb). Lower values were observed in transplant patients with kidney from living donors (N = 16) (9.8 U/gHb). Except for steroids, no correlation has been found with the immunosuppressive therapies and routine clinical and laboratory parameters. Also serum oxidized albumin, which reveals oxidative stress, is significantly higher in transplant patients from cadaver donors (53%) compared to that from living donors (36%). Overall, these data indicate that most of transplant kidneys from cadavers lost part of the detoxifying power against circulating toxins and suffer a relevant oxidative stress compared to those coming from living donors. A case report suggests that e-GST could represent a very early marker of incipient graft rejection. In conclusion, e-GST may be used to check the decline or maintenance of the kidney detoxification competence during post-transplantation course.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase: a general probe for chemical contaminations in mammals.

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are enzymes devoted to the protection of cells against many different toxins. In erythrocytes, the isoenzyme (e-GST) mainly present is GSTP1-1, which is overexpressed in humans in case of increased blood toxicity, as it occurs in nephrophatic patients or in healthy subjects living in polluted areas. The present study explores the possibility that e-GST may be used as an innovative and highly sensitive biomarker of blood toxicity also for other mammals. All distinct e-GSTs from humans, Bos taurus (cow), Sus scrofa (pig), Capra hircus (goat), Equus caballus (horse), Equus asinus (donkey) and Ovis aries (sheep), show very similar amino acid sequences, identical kinetics and stability properties. Reference values for e-GST in all these mammals reared in controlled farms span from 3.5±0.2 U/gHb in the pig to 17.0±0.9 U/gHb in goat; such activity levels can easily be determined with high precision using only a few microliters of whole blood and a simple spectrophotometric assay. Possibly disturbing factors have been examined to avoid artifact determinations. This study provides the basis for future screening studies to verify if animals have been exposed to toxicologic insults. Preliminary data on cows reared in polluted areas show increased expression of e-GST, which parallels the results found for humans.

Detection and adequacy evaluation of erythrocyte glutathione transferase on levels of circulating toxins in hemodialysis patients

To explore detection and adequacy evaluation of erythrocyte glutathione S transferase (GST) on levels of circulating toxins in hemodialysis patients in Qinhuangdao region in China, this study divided 84 cases of long-term, end-stage hemodialysis patients into 2 groups: one group of 33 cases of adequate hemodialysis (spKt/V ≥ 1.3) and another group of 51 cases of inadequate hemodialysis (spKt/V < 1.3), according to the urea index value of the unit chamber model (spKt/V). Another 50 cases of subjects found healthy by a physical examination were taken as the control group, and the differences in the related clinical and biochemical indexes of the 3 groups were compared and analyzed. The levels of GST, creatinine, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), transferrin saturation (TSAT), parathyroid hormone (PTH), interleukin-2,6,8 (IL-2,6,8) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) in the hemodialysis group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05), and GST, IL-2, 6, 8, and TNF-a levels in the inadequate hemodialysis group were significantly higher than in the adequate hemodialysis group (P < 0.05). Pearson's relevant analysis showed that the levels of GST and spKt/V, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-a have a positive correlation (P < 0.05), and they have no correlation with levels of creatinine, hs-CRP, TSAT, and PHT (P > 0.05). There were 23 patients with levels of spKt/V ≥ 1.3 after adjusting the dialysis solution for 51 cases of inadequate hemodialysis patients, and the GST level after the adjustment was significantly lower than that before the adjustment, but still higher than that in the adequate dialysis group. This concludes that the maintenance of hemodialysis in patients has certain relevance on spKt/V and associated inflammatory factors. Through the study, it can be determined that GST can effectively respond to adequate hemodialysis, which has a guiding significance on adjusting the blood dialysis solution in clinical practice.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase activity: a possible early biomarker for blood toxicity in uremic diabetic patients

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase (e-GST) displays increased activity in patients with renal damage and positive correlation with homocysteine (Hcy) in patients under maintenance hemodialysis. Here, we determined e-GST, Hcy, and erythrocyte catalase (e-CAT) in 328 patients affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 61 diabetic non-nephropathic patients and 267 affected by diabetes and by chronic kidney disease (CKD) under conservative therapy subdivided into four stages according to K-DOQI lines. e-GST activity was significantly higher in all T2DM patients compared to the control group (7.90 ± 0.26 vs. 5.6 ± 0.4 U/g(Hb)), and we observed an enhanced activity in all subgroups of CKD diabetic patients. No significant correlation or increase has been found for e-CAT in all patients tested. Mean Hcy in diabetic patients is higher than that in healthy subjects (33.42 ± 1.23 vs. 13.6 ± 0.8 μM), and Hcy increases in relation to the CKD stage. As expected, a significant correlation was found between e-GST and Hcy levels. These findings suggest that e-GST hyperactivity is not caused directly by diabetes but by its consequent renal damage. e-GST, as well as Hcy, may represent an early biomarker of renal failure.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase: a non-antibody biomarker for systemic sclerosis, which correlates with severity and activity of the disease

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase (e-GST) is a detoxifying enzyme hyper-expressed in nephropathic patients and used recently as a biomarker for blood toxicity. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by endothelial dysfunction and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Renal involvement is frequent in SSc patients. Here we show that e-GST is hyper-expressed in SSc patients (n=102) and correlates (R2=0.49, P<0.0001) with the Medsger DSS and DAI Valentini indices that quantify the severity and activity of this disease. Interestingly, e-GST does not correlate with the impairment of kidney or other specific organs taken separately. e-GST hyper-expression seems to be linked to the presence of a factor (i.e., toxin) that triggers the autoimmune disease, and not to the damage of specific organs or to oxidative stress. e-GST may be proposed as an innovative non-antibody biomarker for SSc useful to check the progress of this disease and the efficiency of new therapeutic strategies.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase: A novel biomarker to check environmental pollution hazardous for humans

Glutathione transferase (GST) is an enzyme capable of protecting the body from a lot of toxic compounds. Previous studies demonstrated that the erythrocyte GST (e-GST) expression increases as the level of circulating toxins increases. Aim of the present study is to verify if e-GST may represent a biomarker able to signalize an environmental pollution hazardous for humans. The study involved about 500 healthy volunteers living in eight distinct areas at or near the Sacco river valley, a region of the Frosinone district (Lazio-Italy) well known for its environmental pollution. Subjects of six areas displayed increased levels of e-GST ranging from 18% to 44% compared to 400 volunteers living in the Rome hinterland. Higher levels of GSTs are present in the areas where the risk of pollution is higher (areas 7 and 8). Interestingly, women living in the Sacco valley display much higher expression of e-GST than men, possibly due to a greater time exposition to the environmental contamination. Possible oxidative alteration of GST activity has not been observed. In conclusion, e-GST may represent an early and sensitive bio-signal of dangerous pollution for humans.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase: a new biomarker for hemodialysis adequacy, overcoming the Kt/Vurea dogma?

Kt/Vurea ratio is commonly used to assess the delivered dose of dialysis in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. This parameter only reflects the efficacy of dialytic treatments in removing small toxins, but not middle and protein-bound toxins. Erythrocyte glutathione transferase (e-GST), an enzyme devoted to cell depuration against a lot of large and small toxins, is overexpressed in uremic patients. Aim of the present study is to verify whether e-GST may represent a novel biomarker to assess the adequacy of different dialytic techniques complementary to Kt/Vurea parameter. Furthermore, it will be investigated whether e-GST could reflect the ‘average' adequacy of multiple dialytic sessions and not of a single one treatment as it occurs for Kt/Vurea. One hundred and three MHD patients and 82 healthy subjects were tested. Fourty four patients were treated with standard bicarbonate hemodialysis (HD) and 59 patients were on online hemodiafiltration (HDF). In all MHD patients e-GST activity was 60% higher than in healthy controls. In HDF, e-GST activity was lower than in HD subgroup (8.2±0.4 versus 10.0±0.4 U/gHb, respectively). Single-pool Kt/Vurea and total weekly Kt/Vurea were higher in HDF than in HD, but no correlation was found between e-GST activity and Kt/Vurea data. e-GST, whose level is stable during the erythrocyte life-span, provides information on the long-term depurative efficacy of dialysis treatments.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase: a potential new biomarker in chronic kidney diseases which correlates with plasma homocysteine

The erythrocyte glutathione S-transferase (e-GST) is a member of a superfamily of inducible enzymes involved in cell detoxification that shows an increased expression in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We propose a new automated analysis procedure for e-GST activity that has been validated in 72 CKD patients and 62 maintenance hemodialysis patients (MHD). Regression analysis was carried out to assess association between e-GST activity data, main clinical variables, and plasma homocysteine (Hcy), a modified sulfur amino acid known as potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease that is increased above normal levels in more than 90% of the uremic patients. An increased e-GST activity was confirmed in MHD patients (N=62; 10.2±0.4 U/gHb) compared with healthy subjects (N=80; 5.8±0.4 U/gHb), and as an original finding, a significant increase of e-GST activity was observed in pre-dialysis CKD patients with a positive correlation with disease severity weighted according to the four stages of "Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative" classification (7.4±0.5, 8±1, 9.5±0.6, 12±1 U/gHb, respectively). No correlation was found between e-GST activity and hemoglobin, transferrin, blood iron and the markers of systemic inflammation and renal function such as alpha-1 acid glycoprotein and high-sensitive C-Reactive Protein, beta-2 microglobulin and the index of malnutrition-inflammation PINI, while a significant correlation was observed for the first time between plasma Hcy and e-GST activity (r2=0.64, P<0.0001) in MHD patients. Hcy, however, was not identified as an inhibitor of e-GST enzyme. The results in this study suggest the potential for automated e-GST analysis as a valuable tool to further explore phase II-related uremic toxicity in CKD and MHD patients.

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase: A new biomarker in chronic kidney diseases

Erythrocyte glutathione transferase: A new biomarker in chronic kidney diseases

The state of the antioxidant system during therapy of patients with multiple sclerosis

Activity of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione transferase (GT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD), the level of erythrocyte malonic dialdehyde (MDA) and also total antioxidant activity of blood serum were studied in patients with different types of multiple sclerosis (MS). Investigation of peripherical blood was carried out on the first day of admission to the hospital and after the standard therapy with copaxone. During the whole period of observation all MS patients had a high level of MDA and activity of erythrocyte GP compared with a control group. Other erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes and total antioxidant activity of blood serum exhibited weak positive dynamics in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The pathological decrease of antioxidant system activity in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) was more pronounced and remained unchanged after the treatment. This is consistent with a more severe clinical course of this disease.

Polymorphic distribution of glutathione transferase activity with methyl chloride in human blood

Interindividual variation in the in vitro conjugation of methyl chloride with glutathione by erythrocyte glutathione transferase was investigated in 208 healthy males and females from the southern and central parts of Sweden. It was found that 11.1% of the individuals lacked this activity, whereas 46.2% had intermediate activity and 42.8% had high activity. This distribution of three phenotypes is compatible with the presence of one functional allele with a gene frequency of 0.659 and one defect allele with a gene frequency of 0.341. The proportion of non-conjugators in this Swedish material was considerably smaller than that previously found in Germany (Peter et al., Arch Toxicol 1989: 63, 351-355). The polymorphic distribution of another glutathione transferase, GST mu, was determined in the same individuals with a PCR method. No connection between the genotype for GST mu (GSTM1) and the glutatione conjugation with methyl chloride in erythrocytes was found.

Interaction of glutathione transferase from horse erythrocytes with 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole

7-Chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole reacts with two thiol groups of the dimeric horse erythrocyte glutathione transferase at pH 5.0, with strong inactivation reversible on dithiothreitol treatment. The inactivation kinetic follows a biphasic pattern, similar to that caused by other thiol reagents as recently reported. Both S-methylglutathione and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene protect the enzyme from inactivation. Analysis of the reactive SH group-containing peptide gives the sequence Ala-Ser-Cys-Leu-Tyr, identical with that of the peptide that contains the reactive cysteine 47 of the human placental transferase. In the presence of glutathione, the enzyme is not inactivated by this reagent, but it catalyzes its conjugation to glutathione. At higher pH values, 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole reacts with 2 tyrosines/dimer and lysines, as well as with cysteines. Reaction with lysine seems essentially without effect on activity; whether the reactive tyrosines are important for activity could not be determined using this reagent only. However, 2 tyrosines among the 4 that are nitrated by tetranitro-methane are important for activity.

A comparative investigation of the metabolism of methyl bromide and methyl iodide in human erythrocytes

Human erythrocyte cytoplasm was incubated in head space vials with either methyl bromide or methyl iodide. The decline in concentration of the two methyl halides was monitored by gas chromatography. Simultaneously, the production of S-methylglutathione was determined by thin layer chromatography. In parallel experiments, boiled erythrocyte cytoplasm was used in order to determine non-enzymatic conjugation. Furthermore, inhibition experiments with sulfobromophthalein were performed. The results were compared with previous findings on the metabolism of methyl chloride. In contrast to methyl chloride, both methyl bromide and methyl iodide showed a significant non-enzymatic conjugation with glutathione. In addition, an enzymatic conjugation could be observed in the erythrocyte cytoplasm of the majority of the population, whereas a minority lacks this enzymatic activity. This is consistent with findings on methyl chloride. Inhibition experiments show that a minor form of the erythrocyte glutathione transferase may be responsible for the enzymatic conjugation. Of the three monohalogenated methanes, methyl bromide is the substrate with the highest affinity for the conjugating enzyme(s). In the case of methyl iodide, non-enzymatic reaction overweighs the enzymatic process. There are possible implications of the results for occupational health and the toxicity of the substances.

Nonequivalence of the Two Subunits of Horse Erythrocyte Glutathione Transferase in Their Reaction with Sulfhydryl Reagents

Glutathione transferase (EC 2.5.1.18) from horse erythrocytes has been purified and some molecular and kinetic properties have been investigated. It appears to be a dimeric protein composed of subunits of about 23 kDa, indistinguishable either in sodium dodecyl sulfate or in urea electrophoresis. Amino acid composition, substrate specificities, sensitivity to inhibitors, CD spectra, and immunological studies provide evidence that the horse enzyme is related to the pi class transferases. This enzyme has only two reactive thiol groups/dimer whose integrity appears to be essential for the activity. A peculiar feature of these protein thiol groups is that they react nonidentically with a number of thiol blocking reagents, i.e. iodacetamide, bromopyruvate, N-ethylmaleimide, and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Also many disulfides react with one thiol group 5- to 10-fold more rapidly than with the other. The two mixed disulfides so formed also have different rates of reactivation by dithiothreitol. All the structural and kinetic data reported in this paper indicate a nonsymmetrical association of two identical subunits, or alternatively heterodimeric structure with subunits of very similar charge and size.