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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0In Vivo

Galectin-3 as a Candidate Marker of Endocrine-modulatorassociated Endometrial Remodeling During Breast Cancer Endocrine Therapy

  • ADAMANTIA KONTOGEORGI1
  • IOANNIS BOUTAS2
  • DIMITRIOS KALAITZIS3
  • TATIANA S. DRIVA4
  • GEORGE AGROGIANNIS5
  • EMMANOUIL ZOUMAKIS6
  • SOPHIA N. KALANTARIDOU7
  • ANTONIOS MAKRIGIANNAKIS8
8 affiliations
  1. 1Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
  2. 2Breast Unit, Rea Maternity Hospital, Athens, Greece
  3. 3Independent Authority of Public Revenue, Athens, Greece
  4. 41st Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Athens “Laiko”, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
  5. 51st Department of Propedeutic Surgery, General Hospital of Athens “Laiko”, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
  6. 61st Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, General Hospital of Athens “Agia Sofia”, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
  7. 7Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
  8. 8Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
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Abstract

Background/Aim: Breast cancer endocrine therapies may induce endometrial alterations, but the endometrial effects of antiprogestins remain incompletely defined. This study evaluated the effects of tamoxifen, mifepristone, and ulipristal acetate on endometrial morphology and galectin-3 expression, with the aim of exploring galectin-3 as a candidate marker of endocrine-modulator-associated endometrial remodeling.

Materials and Methods: Endometrial effects were examined in a rat mammary carcinogenesis model treated with tamoxifen, mifepristone, ulipristal acetate, or vehicle control. Uterine tissues were assessed by histology and galectin-3 immunohistochemistry. Complementary in vitro experiments in Ishikawa endometrial adenocarcinoma cells evaluated agent- and dose-associated galectin-3 protein-expression patterns by western blotting. Histological outcomes and in vitro fold-change values were summarized descriptively.

Results: In the analyzed cohort, tamoxifen-treated animals showed the highest descriptive proportion of complex endometrial hyperplasia, whereas mifepristone and ulipristal acetate were associated predominantly with simple hyperplastic changes. Normal endometrial morphology was retained in selected mifepristone- and ulipristal acetate-treated animals and in all control animals. Galectin-3 immunoreactivity was low but detectable in morphologically normal endometrium, whereas hyperplastic lesions showed no detectable galectin-3 immunoreactivity under the staining conditions used. In Ishikawa cells, galectin-3 expression showed agent-specific fold-change patterns: tamoxifen and mifepristone were associated with reduced expression at higher concentrations, while ulipristal acetate showed a non-monotonic pattern with increased expression at low and intermediate concentrations and return toward baseline at the highest concentration.

Conclusion: In this exploratory model, endocrine-modulator-associated hyperplastic endometrial remodeling was accompanied by reduced or undetectable galectin-3 immunoreactivity, while low-level expression was retained in morphologically normal endometrium. These findings support further investigation of galectin-3 as a candidate marker of endocrine-associated endometrial remodeling, but validation in larger animal cohorts and human endometrial samples from treated patients is required.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kontogeorgi2026galectin3,
  title = {{Galectin-3 as a Candidate Marker of Endocrine-modulatorassociated Endometrial Remodeling During Breast Cancer Endocrine Therapy}},
  author = {ADAMANTIA KONTOGEORGI and IOANNIS BOUTAS and DIMITRIOS KALAITZIS and TATIANA S. DRIVA and GEORGE AGROGIANNIS and EMMANOUIL ZOUMAKIS and SOPHIA N. KALANTARIDOU and ANTONIOS MAKRIGIANNAKIS},
  journal = {In Vivo},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.21873/invivo.14494},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.14494},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Galectin-3 as a Candidate Marker of Endocrine-modulatorassociated Endometrial Remodeling During Breast Cancer Endocrine Therapy
AU  - ADAMANTIA KONTOGEORGI
AU  - IOANNIS BOUTAS
AU  - DIMITRIOS KALAITZIS
AU  - TATIANA S. DRIVA
AU  - GEORGE AGROGIANNIS
AU  - EMMANOUIL ZOUMAKIS
AU  - SOPHIA N. KALANTARIDOU
AU  - ANTONIOS MAKRIGIANNAKIS
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/29
JO  - In Vivo
DO  - 10.21873/invivo.14494
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.14494
AB  - Background/Aim: Breast cancer endocrine therapies may induce endometrial alterations, but the endometrial effects of antiprogestins remain incompletely defined. This study evaluated the effects of tamoxifen, mifepristone, and ulipristal acetate on endometrial morphology and galectin-3 expression, with the aim of exploring galectin-3 as a candidate marker of endocrine-modulator-associated endometrial remodeling.  Materials and Methods: Endometrial effects were examined in a rat mammary carcinogenesis model treated with tamoxifen, mifepristone, ulipristal acetate, or vehicle control. Uterine tissues were assessed by histology and galectin-3 immunohistochemistry. Complementary in vitro experiments in Ishikawa endometrial adenocarcinoma cells evaluated agent- and dose-associated galectin-3 protein-expression patterns by western blotting. Histological outcomes and in vitro fold-change values were summarized descriptively.  Results: In the analyzed cohort, tamoxifen-treated animals showed the highest descriptive proportion of complex endometrial hyperplasia, whereas mifepristone and ulipristal acetate were associated predominantly with simple hyperplastic changes. Normal endometrial morphology was retained in selected mifepristone- and ulipristal acetate-treated animals and in all control animals. Galectin-3 immunoreactivity was low but detectable in morphologically normal endometrium, whereas hyperplastic lesions showed no detectable galectin-3 immunoreactivity under the staining conditions used. In Ishikawa cells, galectin-3 expression showed agent-specific fold-change patterns: tamoxifen and mifepristone were associated with reduced expression at higher concentrations, while ulipristal acetate showed a non-monotonic pattern with increased expression at low and intermediate concentrations and return toward baseline at the highest concentration.  Conclusion: In this exploratory model, endocrine-modulator-associated hyperplastic endometrial remodeling was accompanied by reduced or undetectable galectin-3 immunoreactivity, while low-level expression was retained in morphologically normal endometrium. These findings support further investigation of galectin-3 as a candidate marker of endocrine-associated endometrial remodeling, but validation in larger animal cohorts and human endometrial samples from treated patients is required.
SN  - 0258-851X
SN  - 1791-7549
ER  -