Glutathione-S-transferase M1 and T1 genetic polymorphisms and the risk of cataract development:: A study in the Turkish population

In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of genetic polymorphisms of glutathione-S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and glutathione-S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) on risk of developing different subtypes of age-related cataract in the Turkish population. Using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms were analyzed in 195 patients with age-related cataract (75 patients with cortical, 53 with nuclear, 37 with posterior subcapsular, and 30 with mixed type) and in 136 patients of an otherwise healthy control group of similar age. GSTM1 null genotype had a significant association with the development of cataract in female subjects (p <0.0029; OR, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.41-6.34). This relationship in female subjects was only in nuclear and mixed types cataract cases (p < 0.002; OR, 4.58; 95% CI, 1.67-12.78 and p < 0.03, respectively). There was also a statistically significant association between the combination of GSTM1-null and GSTT1-positive genotypes and the risk of cataract development in female subjects (p = 0.01; OR = 2.87; 95% CI = 1.25-6.69). Stratification by the subtypes revealed that this association was only in nuclear type cataract (p = 0.001; OR, 3.92; 95% CI, 1.34-11.71). GSTM1-null genotype or combination of the GSTM1-null and GSTT1-positive genotypes in females may be associated with increased risk of cataract development in the Turkish population.