A recent paper by Ishii et al¹ suggested an association between glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) polymorphism in exon 5 (Ile105Val) and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a sample from a Japanese population. The authors reported that GSTP1 homozygous wild type Ile105 polymorphism was found more frequently in patients with COPD than in controls (79% vs 52%).

In an ongoing COPD genetic study (unpublished preliminary results) we determined the prevalence of GSTP1 polymorphisms in exon 5 in 200 healthy Caucasian volunteers from the Barcelona area. Genetic variants were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The amplification products were digested with the restriction enzyme BsmaI at 55°C, subjected to electrophoresis, and visualised by ethidium bromide staining. Of the 200 healthy volunteers, 99 (49.5%) were homozygous wild type Ile105 (additionally, 88 (44%) were heterozygote Ile105Val and 13 (6.5%) were homozygous Val105). This percentage was similar to that observed . . . [Full text of this article]