Novel marker in proliferative and involuting phases of infantile hemangioma

[摘要] Background  No single theory can explain the characteristics of infantile hemangioma (IH), but the emergence of new biomarkers will help to discover a general mechanism in its pathogenesis. Objective  To evaluate serum level of galectin-3 (gal-3) in patients with IH and its possible role in the pathogenesis during proliferative and involuting phases. Patients and methods  This case–control study included 60 patients with IH as group 1 (G1). They were subdivided into 30 patients with age ranged from 3 to 12 months (proliferative phase, G1A) and 30 patients with age ranged from more than 12 to 24 months (involuting phase, G1B). In addition, 20 age-matched and sex-matched healthy participants who served as a control group (G2) were included. The diagnosis was based on clinical bases and ultrasonic examination. Assessment of serum level of gal-3 was done by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits in all studied groups and was correlated with clinical findings of IH. Results  Serum gal-3 levels were significantly higher in the patient group (G1) than controls (G2) (P=0.001). Serum gal-3 levels were significantly higher in G1B compared with G1A and controls (P<0.001 for both). Serum gal-3 level was higher in G1A than control group, but it did not reach statistical significance (P=0.67). Conclusion  Serum gal-3 may have a role in the pathogenesis of IH possibly through its pro-angiogenic effect in the proliferative phase and induction of fibrosis in involuting phase.

[学科分类] 皮肤病学

[关键词] galectin-3;infantile hemangioma;pro-angiogenic;proliferative