The Expression Of Galectin-3 In Ovarian Endometriosis And Its Relationship With MMP-9 And VEGF And Their Clinical Significance

Objective:To observe the effects of galectin-3(Gal-3),matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in ovarian endometriosis,to explore its relationship with the clinical characteristics of endometriosis,including diagnostic value,the role,and correlation in the development of the disease.Methods:From August 2016 to April 2017,32 patients with ovarian cysts were treated with ovarian cysts in the inpatient department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University,and were pathologically diagnosed ovarian endometriosis as a research group.In the same period,40 patients with the uterus or fallopian tube benign lesions underwent surgical treatment as a control group,the were pathology confirmed normal endometrium.Detect the expressions of Galectin-3,MMP-9 and VEGF in serum as well as normal endometrium and ectopic endometrium tissues by means of the enzyme-linked immunesorbent assay(ELISA)and immunohistochemistry respectively.Analyze the results by SPSS21.0 statistical software,the receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve analysis was performed to analyze the value of Galectin-3,VEGF and MMP-9 in the diagnosis of OEMs and its relationship with clinical characteristics of patients with endometriosis.P <0.05 for the difference was statistically significant.Results:1)Serological index:(1)The expression of Galectin-3,VEGF and MMP-9 in the serum of OEMs patients was significantly higher than those in the control group(P all<0.05).(2)There was significant relativity between the expression of Galectin-3 and MMP-9(r=0.475,P=0.006),MMP-9 and VEGF(r=0.431,P=0.014)in serum of OEMs;(3)In serum the expression of Galectin-3,VEGF and MMP-9 in stage III and IV of endometriosis were higher than stage I~II(P <0.05),but there was no significant difference between stage III and stage IV(P l>0.05);(4)According to ROC curve analysis,the optimal diagnostic thresholds for the diagnosis of endometriosis of Galectin-3,VEGF and MMP-9 were 4.93 ng/ml,95.02 pg/ml,676.20 ng/ ml,the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of Galectin-3,VEGF,MMP-9 were 84.4 %,75.0%,75.0% and 52.5%,70.0%,77.5%,respectively.The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of the three factors were more than 0.7.2)Histological indicators:(1)Galectin-3,VEGF,MMP-9 were higher in the ectopic lesions of OEMs patients than in the control eutopic endometrial tissues(P < 0.05);(2)There was significant relativity between the expression of Galectin-3 and MMP-9(r=0.683,P=0.020),MMP-9 and VEGF expression(r=0.538,P=0.002)in the ectopic lesions of OEMs.(3)Galectin-3,VEGF,MMP-9 had no statistically significant differences in different stages of endometriosis(P l<0.05);(4)There was no significant difference in the expression of Galectin-3,MMP-9 and VEGF between proliferative phase and secretory phase in endometriosis(P >0.05).Conclusion:1)Galectin-3 was highly expressed of OEMs,suggested that Galectin-3 was involved in the development of OEMs.2)Galectin-3,VEGF and MMP-9 were highly expressed in the serum of OEMs patients,suggesting that they can be used as potential molecular markers for the diagnosis of ovarian endometriosis.3)The expression Galectin-3,VEGF and MMP-9 in OEMs serum increased with the increase of disease stages,suggesting that they can be used as indicators for follow-up and disease assessment.4)Galectin-3,VEGF and MMP-9 were highly expressed in ectopic tissues and serum of ovarian endometriosis,and Galectin-3 was positively correlated with MMP-9.MMP-9 was positively correlated with the expression of VEGF,suggesting that the synergistic effect of the three factors may promote the progress of the disease.