摘要Background Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an enzyme,which catabolizes heme into carbon monoxide,biliverdin and free iron.The induction of this enzyme is an important cytoprotective mechanism,which occurs as an adaptive and beneficial response to a wide variety of oxidant stimuli.HO-1 inducibility is mainly modulated by a (GT)n polymorphism in the promoter region,and has been shown that short (S) repeats are associated with greater up-regulation of HO-1,compared with long (L) repeats.Methods In the present study,250 healthy Greek individuals have been screened in order to estimate the frequencies of (GT)n alleles in the HO-1 gene.Results Nineteen different alleles,ranging from 17 to 39 repeats,with (GT)23 and (GT)30 being the most common ones,were identified.Conclusion The possible role of this polymorphism in disease states is discussed.