Abstract:

Objective: Galectin-3 is an endogenous β-galactoside binding protein which is an S-type lectin family member with intracellular and extracellular localization and has certain tasks for controlling cell adhesion, growth, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. In this study we aimed to elucidate the role of galectin-3 expression in metastasis biology and its role in predicting tumor metastasis in colon carcinomas. Materials and Method: In this research, 80 cases with colon adenocarcinoma containing the transition of the normal mucosa-tumor tissue were included. The expression of galectin-3 in these cases was investigated immuno-histochemically. Results: There was no significant relationship between Galectin-3 expression and age, gender, histological type, and histological grade, but there was a significant increase in the amount of galectin-3 expression while the histological grade increased. Galectin-3 expression of the adjacent normal mucosa and tumor was found to be significantly higher in patients with metastases than patients without metastases. There was also a correlation between the presence of vascular invasion and the increase of galectin-3 expression. The mean galectin-3 expression in metastatic foci was higher than that of the tumor area. These findings suggest that the cells with metastatic phenotype express a higher amount of galectin-3 and also galectin-3 has an indirect role in the pathogenesis of metastasis even if its place could not be determined currently. Conclusion: In our study, it was concluded that the expression of galectin-3 may play a role in the metastatic process of colon carcinomas.

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