TITLE:
Relationship between Circulating Plasma Galectin-3 Levels and T-Cell Activation during Cervical Cancer Chemotherapy
AUTHORS:
Folly M. Gaba, Maïmouna Diop, Doudou G. M. Niang, Sidy Ka, Doudou Diouf, Moussa Ndour, Comlan J. G. Montcho, Moustapha Mbow, Babacar Faye, Rokhaya N. Diallo, Maguette S. Niang, Ahmadou Dem, Babacar Mbengue, Alioune Dieye
KEYWORDS:
Uterine Cervical Neoplasm, Chemotherapy, Galectin 3, T-Lymphocytes Activation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Immunology,
Vol.13 No.1,
March
15,
2023
ABSTRACT: 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.