Evaluation of glutathione S-transferase GSTM1 and GSTT1 deletion polymorphisms on type-2 diabetes mellitus risk.

Background: Due to the activity of GSTs in the detoxification of oxidative stress products, deletion polymorphisms of GSTM1 and GSTT1 may contribute to susceptibility to T2DM, since B-cells express very low levels of antioxidant enzymes. Recently, some studies have shown an association between GSTM1-null/GSTT1-null genotypes and an increased susceptibility to T2DM. A relationship between these polymorphisms and changes in the clinical parameters of diabetic patients has also been investigated.