Author(s)

Folly M. Gaba^1*#, Maïmouna Diop^1#, Doudou G. M. Niang^1,2, Sidy Ka³, Doudou Diouf³, Moussa Ndour², Comlan J. G. Montcho¹, Moustapha Mbow¹, Babacar Faye¹, Rokhaya N. Diallo⁴, Maguette S. Niang¹, Ahmadou Dem³, Babacar Mbengue^1,2, Alioune Dieye¹

¹Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odontology, University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.
²Immunology Laboratory, Aristide Ledantec Hospital (HALD), Dakar, Senegal.
³Oncology Department, Juliot Curie Institute, Aristide Ledantec Hospital (HALD), Dakar, Senegal.
⁴Human Genetic Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odontology, University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.

Objective: Despite the existence of several therapeutic strategies, the management of cervical cancer remains challenging. Our region has very little data on the interaction between the immune system and the clinical response to chemotherapy. This work examines plasma levels of galectin-3 (Gal-3) and percentages of activated T cells in patients with cervical cancer treated with chemotherapy and investigates if there is a relationship between the rates of these two elements. Methods: We compared data from 37 patients with cervical cancer undergoing chemotherapy and 42 controls with normal cervical cytology. Plasma Gal-3 concentrations were assessed by ELISA and expression of activation markers by T cells (CD69 and HLA-DR) was assessed by flow cytometry at three different time points during chemotherapy. Results: Our results showed that patients had a significantly higher concentration of Gal-3 compared to controls (4.025 vs. 1.340, p < 0.001), similarly, they had a significantly high percentage of activated lymphocytes (2.610 vs. 0.731; p < 0.0001). According to the response to treatment, patients with no response to treatment had a lower concentration of circulating Gal-3 but had approximately the same percentage of activated CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes as patients with a partial or total response. In addition, we found a positive correlation between the Gal-3 level and CD4 T cells expressing the activation marker CD69 (p < 0.05; rho = 0.44). Conclusion: In conclusion, our results show that there would be a relationship between circulating galectin-3 and the percentage of peripheral CD4⁺CD69⁺ cells in cervical cancer.

Uterine Cervical Neoplasm, Chemotherapy, Galectin 3, T-Lymphocytes Activation

Gaba, F. , Diop, M. , Niang, D. , Ka, S. , Diouf, D. , Ndour, M. , Montcho, C. , Mbow, M. , Faye, B. , Diallo, R. , Niang, M. , Dem, A. , Mbengue, B. and Dieye, A. (2023) Relationship between Circulating Plasma Galectin-3 Levels and T-Cell Activation during Cervical Cancer Chemotherapy. Open Journal of Immunology, 13, 14-31. doi: 10.4236/oji.2023.131002.