Investigation of gclc gene polymorphism associated with cellular aging and systemic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease characterized by airway inflammation, with high morbidity and mortality and increasing prevalence with age. The interactions between the antioxidant defense mechanism, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation are altered due to cellular aging, leading to disruption of lung homeostasis. Glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCLC) has an important role in the synthesis, modification and activation of glutathione (GSH), an important antioxidant in the lung that protects the airway epithelium from damage. The aim of this study is to characterize the GCLC gene G>C (rs600033) polymorphism in a group of patients diagnosed with COPD. In this study, DNAs of 117 COPD Patients (59 Stable COPD (Group 1), 58 Acute Exacerbation (Group 2)) and 115 healthy controls were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) tests. Statistical analyzes were performed using the chi-square test. Allele and genotype distributions of the GCLC gene G>C (rs600033) polymorphism did not show a statistically significant difference between COPD patients and healthy controls (p>0.05). However, as a result of the analysis performed by grouping COPD patients, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the genotype distributions of the GCLC gene G>C (rs600033) polymorphism in Acute Exacerbation patients and controls, and the CC genotype was more common in controls (p=0.037, OR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.19-0.95). As a result, it was determined that the GCLC gene G>C (rs600033) polymorphism in the Turkish population may pose a risk for Acute Exacerbation in COPD patients.