Venous malformation damages the local tissue severely because of the progressive development and often presents with invasive biological behavior.Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is proved to be closely associated with local invasion of malignant tumor.Studying the role of Gal-3 on tissue invasion in venous malformation of ocular region is of important clinical significance.

This study was to explore the role of Gal-3 protein and mRNA expression in venous malformation of ocular region.

One hundred and eighteen pathological sections were collected from ocular venous malformation patients who received surgery in Department of Hemangioma Surgery, People's Hospital of Henan Province and Henan Eye Institute from June 2009 to June 2014.The specimens were further diagnosed by histopathological examination.Then the expressions of Gal-3 protein and mRNA in venous malformation of ocular region were detected by using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization and compared with 20 pieces of distal cutting edge specimens which were evidently normal.The associations of Gal-3 positive expressions with invasion and configuration of lesions were analyzed.

Pathological examination showed that venous malformations tissues contain many big blood vessels lacuna, lined with flat endothelial cells.Immunochemistry and in situ hybridization exhibited that Gal-3 protein and mRNA were expressed in the cytoplasm and nuclei.The positive expression rates of Gal-3 protein and mRNA in the venous malformation tissues were 55.93%(66/118) and 59.32%(70/118), but those in the normal tissue were 15.00%(3/20) and 20.00%(4/20), showing significant differences between them (χ²=11.461, 10.633, both at P<0.05). No significant differences were seen in the positive expression rates of Gal-3 protein and mRNA between the patients aged ≤12 years and >12 years or different genders (age: χ²=0.334, 0.128; both at P>0.05.gender: χ²=0.606, 1.155; both at P >0.05). The incidence rate of invading ocular deep tissues was significantly higher in the Gal-3-positive groups than that in the Gal-3-negative groups of protein and mRNA (protein: χ²=32.688, P<0.05; mRNA: χ²=23.695, P<0.05). In the Gal-3-negative groups, 96.15% (Gal-3 protein negative group) and 97.92% (Gal-3 mRNA negative group) lesions showed the spherical shape with clear boundaries.The lesions texture with the fuzzy boundaries and the incidences of vague structure in lesions were significantly higher in the Gal-3-positive groups than that in the Gal-3-negative groups of protein and mRNA (protein: χ²=28.255, P<0.05; mRNA: 28.186, P<0.05).

Gal-3 expression rate is raised in the deep tissue-invaded and texture disorder ocular venous malformation.These results suggest that invasion and damage of ocular venous malformation are associated with the up-regulation of Gal-3.

Venous malformation, ocular; Galectin-3; Humans; Immunochemistry; In situ hybridization