Glyoxalase I phenotype as a potential risk factor for prostate carcinoma

Objectives. To elicit a possible link between glyoxalase I (Gly-I), a detox ifying enzyme, and the incidence of prostate cancer (PCa), we investigated Gly-I phenotypic expression in the prostatic tissue and red blood cells (RB Cs) from patients with PCa. Methods. Eighty-seven clinical specimens, including 42 PCa tissue samples, 20 RBC samples, and 25 matched pair (prostate and RBC) samples from patient s at prostatectomy were examined. The Gly-I phenotypes in these specimens w ere assessed by nondenaturing starch-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results. Of the 87 patients, 63 (72.4%) were white, 15 (17.2%) were black, and 9 (10.4%) were another ethnicity (eg, Hispanic, Asian, Indian). Three G ly-I phenotypes were detected in these specimens as fast, intermediate, and slow-moving bands on the gel. The fast phenotype was the most common form found in the white (34 [54%] of 63) and black (8 [53.3%] of 15) patients, b ut the third ethnic group was too small for proper analysis. To validate th is finding, the data from the white patients were compared with the Gly-I p henotypic frequencies in U.S. populations. The data analysis confirmed that a higher incidence (54%) of the fast type in our white patients was statis tically significant (P <0.0001) compared with its phenotypic frequency of 3 0.6% in the general U.S. white population. Conclusions. The significantly high frequency (P <0.0001) of the fast Gly-I phenotype was detected among patients with PCa, suggesting it is a potenti al risk factor for PCa. Whether its increased incidence in whites reflects the lack of sample numbers for other ethnic groups needs additional investi gation. UROLOGY 57: 183-187, 2001. (C) 2001, Elsevier Science Inc.