Expression of Galectins 1, 3 and 9 in normal oral epithelium, oral squamous papilloma, and oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Back ground: The aim of this study was to characterize the immunohistochemical expression
of galectin 1, 3, and 9 in normal oral epithelium, oral squamous papilloma, and oral squamous cell
carcinoma.
Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for galectins 1, 3, and 9 was evaluated
in 8 samples of normal oral squamous epithelium, 15 samples of oral squamous papilloma, and 41
samples of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemical data were assessed by Kruskal-
Wallis non-parametric test followed by Dunn’s test. For all analyzes, it was adopted the value of
P <0.05 for statistical signifi cance.
Results: Signifi cant differences were found in galectin- 3 expression when comparing ordinary
mucosa and oral squamous papilloma with the oral squamous cell carcinoma samples.
Conclusion: These fi ndings indicate that galectin-3 is closely involved in malignant transformation
of oral mucosa cells.
Key Words: Gale ctin-1, galectin-3, galectin-9, oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral squamous
papilloma