Detoxification

Daily we are confronted with many substances that damage our health. These substances are found in the food we eat, in the liquids we drink as well as in the air we breathe. The human body defends itself against harmful substances wit the aid of special enzymes whose efficacy differs from one individual to another. Persons with damaged function of these enzymes run a greater risk of developing cancer and grow older more quickly. The aim of GenScan analysis is to reveal deficiencies in the organism’s detoxification capabilities and to draw attention to possible preventive measures.

The negative effect of reactive forms of oxygen (free radicals), which include e.g. hydrogen peroxide or the super-oxide radical, has been shown to play a role in a number of degenerative processes such as e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, ischaemic artery disease, Parkinson’s disease or ageing. Reactive forms of oxygen are produced in the mitochondria during a whole range of metabolic processes or during the detoxification of noxious substances. The negative effect of reactive forms of oxygen mainly lies in the peroxidation of fats that leads to irreversible damage of cell membranes, to damage of the cell enzymatic apparatus of mitochondria and to damage of DNA bases that leads to mutations, which may be the cause of a number of diseases including cancer. The organism defends itself against the negative effects of free radicals with the aid of three basic anti-oxidation enzymes- catalase, super-oxide-dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-peroxidase. Catalase is responsible for the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide, SOD breaks down the super-oxide radical and is necessary for the normal biological function of tissue as it prevents damage to the enzymatic apparatus of mitochondria, glutathione-peroxidase also breaks down hydrogen peroxide with the help of the glutathione co-factor. Several mutations in the genes coding these basic detoxification enzymes have been described. These lead to the increase or decrease of enzyme activity. This then increases or decreases the risk leading to oxidative damage of the organism.

Enzymes containing cytochrome P450, glutathione-S-transferase and N-acetyl-transferase play an important role in the detoxification of harmful substances that include potential pro-carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Enzymes that contain cytochrome P450 include CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 that play a key role in the first phase of detoxification of potential pro-carcinogens such as PAH or hetero-cyclic aromatic amines (HA) present e.g. in cigarette smoke or roasted meat. It has been shown that approximately 10% of the people in the European population have a mutation in the CYP1A1 enzyme gene, which increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers. The enzyme glutathione-S-transferase plays a very important role in detoxification by catalysing the conjugation of a whole range of hydrophobic and electrophilic substances with glutathione. There exist several various isoforms of this enzyme, with mutations leading to a decrease in activity or complete deletion, which may consequently increase the risk of cancer or anaemia. N-acetyl transferase is then one of a series of enzymes that participate in detoxification of substances whose structure contains nitrogen, and several types of polymorphism leading to a decrease in their activity have been described.

How does GenScan reveal the risk of damage to the organism by free radicals or xenobiotics?
GenScan analysis reveals mutations in genes for the basic detoxification enzymes that have been described to influence the activity of these enzymes and that may consequently increase or decrease the risk of damage to the organism by reactive forms of oxygen or xenobiotics. On the basis of the GenScan analysis, appropriate antioxidants and other dietary supplements may be recommended, as well a change in lifestyle and diet. All these measure should help suppress the ageing process and the risk of malignant disease.