Glutathione-transferase as potential diagnostic factor in gynecological tumors: A preliminary note

The major problem in cancer therapy is drug resistance. Resistance to alkylating agents may involve glutathione (GSH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), as suggested by in vitro studies. The present paper examines GSH level and GST activities in 34 samples of gynecological tissues: 25 samples of corpus uteri and 9 samples of the ovary, which include: normal tissues, benign tumors and malignant tumors. We found similar or even lower levels of GSH in benign and malignant tumors as compared to normal tissues. For malignant tumors of corpus uteri and ovary, however, we obtained higher GST activities than in normal tissues. As higher GST activities may contribute to resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy with alkylating agents and doxorubicin, they may serve as a diagnostic factor for tumors.