Human glutathione s-transferase enzyme gene variations and risk of multiple sclerosis in Iranian population cohort.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease with unknown etiology. Oxidative stress has been demonstrated to play a role in pathological and inflammatory mechanisms of MS. Cells activate antioxidant processes in response to oxidative stress. Glutathione is one of the antioxidant agents in the brain and serves as a cofactor for glutathione s-transferase (GST) enzymes for detoxifying nerve cells. Among different classes of GST, GSTM1 and GSTT1 are associated with the loss of function due to structural homozygous deletion. The aim of this study is to investigate GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes in an Iranian population.