PURPOSE

Gliomas have attracted attention as the most common primary tumor of the CNS. Gliomas are made up of glial components of the nervous system. They cause more than 40% of CNS neoplasms, with an increased incidence in the aged 65 years and older. Despite advances in the characterization of the pathogenesis of these tumors, gliomas remain incurable. In recent years, scientific developments have shifted the attention of scientists to the potentials of galectins in glioma biology. Many studies have reported the important functions of galectins in cancer biology, apoptosis, and escape from tumor immunity, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Although few studies in the literature evaluate galectin expressions in gliomas, in-vitro and in-vivo, no study evaluating galectin serum levels in the clinic has been reported. Therefore, within the scope of this project, the roles of GAL-1, GAL-3, and GAL-8 in glioma pathogenesis and the possible link between gliomagenesis and the serum levels of ITGβ-1, HIF-1α, MMP-2, and - 9 parameters associated with hypoxia, angiogenesis, and migration, were evaluated in newly diagnosed and untreated LGG and HGG.

METHODS

The study included 50 HGG and 50 LGG patients and 50 healthy controls with mean ages of 55.48 ± 1.51, 41.04 ± 1.66 and 39.20 ± 1.20 years, respectively.

RESULTS

Serum GAL-1, -3, -8, ITGβ-1, HIF-1α, MMP-2, and - 9 levels significantly differed between the glioma and healthy control groups. In addition, serum GAL-1, -3, -8, ITGβ-1, MMP-2 and - 9 levels were significantly greater in HGG compared to LGG. Although there was no significant difference in serum HIF-1α levels between the groups with respect to tumor grade, an increase in HGG was observed. This study is the first in the Turkish population in which serum GAL-1, -3, and - 8 levels were clinically evaluated together in glioma pathologies with high angiogenic activity and sheds light on the role of increased serum galectin levels in the promotion of low-grade tumors to high-grade tumors.

CONCLUSION

In this respect, we believe that GAL-8, ITGβ-1, and HIF-1α may be usable as a panel of non-invasive biomarkers for glioma diagnosis. Additionally, this study may contribute to studies on glioma treatment and the inhibition of gliomagenesis by bringing a new perspective on the targeting galectins.