Glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 and GST T1 genotypes and hematopoietic effects of benzene exposure

This study investigated whether or not the genotypes glutathione S- transferase θ (GST T1) and μ (GST M1) correlated with low white blood cell (WBC) count found in benzene exposed workers. We found that individuals with genotypes positive for both GST T1 and GST M1 showed the highest prevalence of low WBC [odds ratio (OR) = 4.67, P = 0.046, 95% confidence interval (CI)= 1.02-24.15] when the benzene exposure was high. Multiple logistic regression showed that benzene exposure (OR = 2.81, P = 0.062, 95% CI = 0.96-8.30) was associated with increased OR on low WBC and interactions between the benzene exposure and the genotype of GST T1 were also observed. These observations suggest that GST T1 and GST M1 may play important roles in the biotransformation of benzene, the effect which leads to its hematotoxicity.