Glutathione S-transferase isoenzymes in human lung tumors

In the present studies we have compared the levels of glutathione (GSH) and GSH-related enzymes in lung tumors and corresponding normal tissues obtained from the same individuals. We have also immunologically quantitated the relative amounts of glutathione S-transferase pi (or GST-P) type antigen in tumors and adjacent normal tissues from five patients. GST activities towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and ethacrynic acid were found to be elevated in tumors from two out of five patients (patients #1 and 4), whereas the activity towards these substrates was markedly suppressed in the tumor tissue from one of the patients (#5). Immunotitration and Western blot studies using antibodies raised against pi-type GST isoenzymes of human lung and placenta indicated induction of GST pi-type isoenzyme in tumors from patients #1 and 4 and suppression of this isoenzyme in tumor from patient #5. The tumors from patients #2 and 3 did not show any increase in GST activity or GST pi-type antigen. Except for the tumor from patient #5, the GSH content was higher in the tumors from other patients. GSH reductase activity was found to be elevated in tumors of all the patients examined in this study. These results indicate that GSH and GSH related enzymes are differentially altered in lung tumors and GSH levels and GST pi- or GST-P-type isoenzyme(s) are not uniformly elevated in all tumors.