NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children with polymorphisms of NQO1 and GSTM1, genes involved in response to oxidative stress, appear to be protected against asthma in high ozone environments, according to US and Mexican researchers.
In the November 15th issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Gloria L. David of the National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and colleagues note that a recent study has shown evidence of such a protective effect in subjects with the NQO1 Ser allele and homozygous deletion of GSTM1.
To investigate further, the researchers studied asthmatic children (ages 4 to 17 years) attending a clinic in Mexico City, an area with the highest ozone levels in North America. Mothers and fathers were also included in the study and altogether there were 218 analyzed case-parent triads. About half of the parents were smokers.
There was no strong link between the NQO1 genotype alone and risk of asthma. However, there was a significant reduction in risk in those carrying at least one Ser allele for NQO1 who also showed homozygous deletion of GSTM1.
These findings are consistent with a protective effective in such children with high ozone exposure. However, the researchers also point out that “children of smoking parents were not protected.”
Source: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003;168:1199-1204. [ Google search on this article ]
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