Effects of glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 deletions on epilepsy risk among a Tunisian population

•Significant association between GSTM1nul genotype and epilepsy risk.•There is no association between GSTT1 and epilepsy risk.•GSTM1 null genotype is candidate polymorphism for susceptibility to epilepsy.

SummaryGlutathione-S-transferases enzymes are involved in the detoxification of several endogenous and exogenous substances. In this present study, we evaluated the effects of two glutathione-S-transferase polymorphisms, (GSTM1 and GSTT1) on epilepsy risk susceptibility in a Tunisian population.These polymorphisms were analyzed in 229 healthy subjects and 98 patients with epilepsy, using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Odds ratio (ORs) was used for analyzing results.The study results demonstrated that individuals with the GSTM1 null genotype were at an increased risk of developing epilepsy [OR = 3.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.15–4.78)], whereas no significant effects were observed between individuals with GSTT1 null genotype and epilepsy risk [OR = 1.15, 95% CI (0.62–2.12)].These genotyping finding revealed that the absence of GSTM1 activity could be contributor factor for the development of epilepsy disease.