Abstract: Background and purpose: Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) protects cells from DNA damage and cancer cell formation. Inhibition of GSTP1 activity could increase susceptibility to DNA damage and increase the risk of cancer occurrence, which was associated with cancer. This study aimed investigate the relationship between GSTPl gene methylation and clinical pathological features of prostate cancer. Methods: Forty-six patients with prostate cancer who were hospitalized in Hainan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Haikou People’s Hospital from Apr. 2015 to Dec. 2016 were enrolled in this study. The expression level of GSTPl mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR). The methylation level of CpG island in GSTP1 gene promoter region was detected by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP), then its associations with the gender, age, tumor TNM staging and other clinical data were analyzed. Results: The expression of GSTP1 mRNA in prostate cancer tissues was lower than that in para-cancerous tissues (P<0.01), and the decrease of GSTP1 mRNA was negatively correlated with GSTPl methylation (P<0.05). The positive rates of methylation in prostate cancer and para-cancerous tissues were 66.0% and 23.5%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The promoter methylation frequency of GSTP1 gene was significantly correlated with different tumor staging (r=073, P<0.05). However, compared with other clinical trials, there was no significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusion: GSTP1 gene promoter methylation may cause low expression of GSTP1 gene, which is closely related to the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. Monitoring GSTP1 gene promoter methylation is expected to be a new method for the detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Key words: Prostate cancer, Glutathione S-transferase P1, Methylation, Correlation