Glutathione-S-Transferase-P1 I105V polymorphism and response to antenatal betamethasone in the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome

PURPOSE: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the association between polymorphisms in genes that encode for proteins involved in the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of glucocorticoids and the occurrence of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm infants born to mothers treated with a complete course of betamethasone. METHODS: Sixty-two preterm infants were enrolled. The C1236T, G2677T, and C3435T polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene, BclI, N363S and ER22/23EK in the NR3C1 gene, I105V in the GST-P1 gene and GST-M1 and GST-T1 deletions were analyzed, and their association with the occurrence of RDS was assessed. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, the heterozygous and homozygous presence of the I105V variant in the GST-P1 gene seemed to confer protection against the occurrence of RDS (P = 0.032), while no association for all other polymorphisms was observed. In multivariate analysis, selection from the reference model of independent variables based on AIC (Akaike information crite