No association of GSTM1 null polymorphism with endometriosis in women\nfrom central and southern Iran

Background: Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecologic\ndisorders. It is a complex trait and both genetic and environmental\nfactors have been implicated in its pathogenesis. There is growing\nevidence indicating that exposure to environmental contaminants is a\nrisk factor for endometriosis. Glutathione-S-Transferase M1 (GSTM1) is\none of the genes involved in detoxification of endogenous and exogenous\ncompounds. Objective: Several studies have indicated an association\nbetween GSTM1 null mutation and endometriosis. In this study, the\npossible association between the GSTM1 gene null genotype and\nsusceptibility to endometriosis in woman from central and southern Iran\nwas investigated. Materials and Methods: One hundred and one unrelated\npremenopausal women with endometriosis and 142 unrelated healthy\npremenopausal women without endometriosis were enrolled in the study.\nGenomic DNA was extracted from Peripheral blood in all subjects. GSTM1\nnull genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).\nResults: There was no significant difference between frequencies of\nGSTM1 null genotype in case and control groups (50.5% Vs. 52.1%,\np=0.804). Furthermore, this genotype was not associated with severity\nof endometriosis in our sample (p=0.77). Conclusion: further studies\ninvolving gene-environment and gene-gene interactions, particularly\ncombination of GSTM1 and other GST gene family polymorphisms are\nneeded.