Glutathione and glutathione metabolizing enzymes in tissues and blood of breast cancer patients.

Many reports indicate that glutathione and enzymes cooperating with it are important in neoplastic processes. Glutathione (GSH) concentrations and glutathione S-transferase (GSH STr) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were determined in breast cancer tissue and adjacent healthy tissues, as well as in blood of 28 patients. There were considerable differences in the investigated parameters among individual patients. Therefore we analyzed the paired samples of normal and cancerous tissues from the same individual. In 68% of the patients the activities of GSH-Px and in 85% patients those of GSH STr were found to be higher in the tumor than in the normal tissue. GSH concentration in 48% tumor samples were higher and in 44% lower than in corresponding normal tissues. Statistically significant correlation was found between GSH-Px and GSH STr in normal (r = 0.51, p < 0.005) and in cancer tissues (r = 0.64, p = 0.001). Correlation coefficient between GSH Px activity in normal and corresponding cancer tissues was r = 0.71 (p < 0.001), however this correlation in the case of GSH STr was much lower but still significant (r = 0.38, p < 0.05). No significant correlation in the determined parameters was found between erythrocytes or plasma and normal or cancer tissues.