Association of COVID-19 with Gene Expression of glutathione-S-transferase (GSTT1 and GSTM1) gene polymorphisms in Hillah Patients

Abstract

Global health concerns have arisen due to SARS-CoV2 infection, which causes a wide spectrum of respiratory ailments, from mild to lethal, including COVID-2019 (SARS-CoV2 Infection-Induced Coronavirus Disease). A SARSCoV2 infection is associated with oxidative stress, which causes cytokine production and inflammation, as well as other pathological processes. In the lungs, glutathione S-transferase (GST) is a critical antioxidant defense enzyme that catalyzes the combination of glutathione (GSH) with electrophiles to shield cells from oxidative damage. That is why we conducted this study to see if there was a connection between the GSTM1 and the GSTT1 gene polymorphism and COVID19 susceptibility. 63 people with COVID-19 (both males and females, with an average age of 46.3 years) were enrolled from September 2021 to March 2022 from four different educational hospitals in Babylon, Al-Hillah, Al-Sadeq and Merjan. Participants had to meet the following requirements in order to be considered for the study: Positivity was determined by a reverse transcription (rt-PCR) assay for SARS-CoV-2 utilizing nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs collected in accordance with World Health Organization standards and accessible RT-PCR methods. The control group was comprised of 60 people (19 men,44 women; average age 46.3 years) who had been proven to be free of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgM and IgG). It was important to select controls that had the same exposure to infection risk as the patient group in order to ensure that the groups were homogeneous in composition. As conclusion, A statistically significant relationship between GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms and an increased risk of developing COVID-19 in conjunction with lung cancer has been discovered, according to the findings. These findings suggest that environmental and genetic variables interact in a synergistic manner during the formation of lung cancer tumors.