ELEVATION OF GLUTATHIONE, GLUTATHIONE-REDUCTASE AND NUCLEIC-ACIDS IN BOTH NORMAL-TISSUES AND TUMOR OF BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS

The present study was carried out to determine the variation in reduce d glutathione (GSH), glutathione-reductase (GSH-R), DNA and RNA conten ts between tumours and adjacent normal tissue surgically removed from patients with breast cancer. A highly significant increase in the cont ent of these parameters was found in tumours compared with adjacent no rmal breast tissue. Such observations were also found in the whole-blo od GSH, GSH-R and leukocyte DNA and RNA content of these patients comp ared with that of normal women. The present data may provide relevant information about the behaviour of DNA, RNA, GSH and GSH-R in breast t umours that may be valuable in the chemotherapeutic modalities and pro gnosis of such tumours.