Implications of Glutathione Peroxidase 3 Expression in a Cohort of Egyptian Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

BACKGROUND: The impact of low expression of Glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) on the clinical course of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poorly investigated. AIMS: To explore the status of GPX3 expression and analyze its clinical characteristics and prognosis in a cohort of Egyptian patients with AML. METHODS: GPX3 mRNA level was assessed by RT-q PCR in 40 newly diagnosed AML patients and 10 healthy controls. RESULTS: The gene expression level was significantly lower in AML patients than the control group (P < 0.001). A cut off value (0.1223) for the discrimination between AML and controls was obtained by ROC curve. According to this cutoff value; the patients were reassigned into 2 groups; 28 patients with lower GPX3 expression and 12 patients with high GPX3 expression. GPX3(low) expression was significantly associated with higher incidence of induction death (P= 0.037) and lower CR rate (P=0.048). Moreover, GPX3(low) expression was significantly associated with shorter cumulative 1-year overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P=0.028). CONCLUSION: GPX3(low) expression status is considered a poor prognostic factor in AML predicting shorter OS and DFS. The study highlights the importance of targeting glutathione metabolism as a central component of the anti-leukemia therapy.