TY - JOUR T1 - <em>In Vivo</em> Models for Measuring Placental Glutatione-S-transferase (GST-P 7-7) Levels: A Suitable Biomarker for Understanding Cancer Pathogenesis JF - In Vivo JO - In Vivo SP - 647 LP - 650 VL - 26 IS - 4 AU - JULIANA NOGUTI AU - LUIS FERNANDO BARBISAN AU - AUGUSTO CESAR AU - CAMILO DIAS SEABRA AU - RODRIGO BRASIL CHOUERI AU - DANIEL ARAKI RIBEIRO Y1 - 2012/07/01 UR - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/26/4/647.abstract N2 - The Glutatione-S-transferases (GSTs) comprise a family of enzymes closely associated with the cell detoxification of xenobiotics. GSTs exist as homo- or heterodimers and have been grouped into at least seven distinct classes. The main function of GSTs is to catalyze the conjugation of reduced glutathione (GSH) to an electrophilic site of a broad range of potentially toxic and carcinogenic compounds, thereby making such compounds less dangerous and enabling their ready-excretion. Placental GST, known as GST-P 7-7, is the main isoform found in normal placental tissue and comprises 67% of the total GST concentration in this tissue. During development, GST-P 7-7 decreases in concentration and is absent in adult tissues. Interestingly, GST-P 7-7 expression has been detected in adult tissues after exposure to carcinogenic agents in several experimental test systems, being considered a reliable biomarker of exposure and susceptibility in early phases of carcinogenesis. In this article, we review a series of studies involving GST-P 7-7 expression as a suitable tool for understanding cancer pathogenesis, especially cancer risk. ER -