ALTERATIONS IN ERYTHROCYTE GLUTATHIONE METABOLISM ASSOCIATED WITH CERVICAL DYSPLASIAS AND CARCINOMA IN-SITU

The study was designed to test the hypothesis whether cervical dysplas ias of the more severe grades are associated with elevated erythrocyte glutathione levels. Subjects were women who obtained Pap tests and we re subsequently found (1) not to have any cervical lesions or (2) to h ave colposcopically visualized, biopsy-confirmed cervical abnormalitie s histopathologically diagnosed as mild, moderate, severe dysplasias, or carcinoma in situ (CIS). The erythrocyte levels of reduced glutathi one (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), glutathione reductase (GR), gl ucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and 6-phosphogluconate dehydro genase (6PGD) were analyzed from coded peripheral venous blood samples . GSH and GR concentrations increased with increasing severity of dysp lasia. Exploratory data analysis and multiple pairwise comparisons sug gested comparable levels of the glutathione-related variables between these histopathological pairs: (1) mild and moderate dysplasias or (2) severe dysplasia and CIS. We suggest that the changes in erythrocyte glutathione-related indices in conjunction with histopathological diag nosis may have the potential to distinguish between low- and high-grad e cervical dysplastic lesions.