Immunohistochemical Studies on Galectin Expression in Colectomised Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Table 2

Galectin expression in colon epithelial cells in patients with UC. Study patients are grouped according to degree of tissue inflammation (see Table 1) and normal controls (). Epithelial cell staining intensity for individual anti-galectin antibodies was graded as 0 to 3. Galectin expression is shown for the epithelial cells present in the uninflamed, cryptitis, abscess, and ulceration areas. Areas not applicable (i.e., ulceration in mild inflammation cases) are marked with —. Staining for galectin-1 was negative in the epithelial cells of both controls and UC cases and is not listed.

Patient number	Inflammatory grade	Epithelial cell galectin expression^#
		Noninflamed area			Cryptitis			Abscess			Ulceration
		Gal-2	Gal-3	Gal-4	Gal-2	Gal-3	Gal-4	Gal-2	Gal-3	Gal-4	Gal-2	Gal-3	Gal-4
18	Mild	3^†	3	3	3	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
19	Mild	3	3	3	3	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
1	Moderate	2	3	1	2	3	1	2	3	1	—	—	—
14	Moderate	3	3	3	2	3	3	2	3	3	—	—	—
48	Moderate	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	—	—	—
50	Moderate	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	—	—	—
2	Severe	1	3	2	3	1	1	3	1	0	3	3	0
3	Severe	3	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	3	2
4	Severe	3	3	3	1	1	3	1	3	2	2	2	3
5	Severe	2 (f)^‡	3	3	1	1	3	1	3	3	1	2	3
8	Severe	3	3	3	2	3	2	—	—	—	1	1	1
11	Severe	3	3	3	2	3	2	2	3	2	2	3	2
13	Severe	2	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	2
15	Severe	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	3	2	3	3	3 (f)
17	Severe	3	3	3	2	3	3	2	3	3	3	3	3
22	Severe	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	2
26	Severe	3	3	3	1	3	3	1	3	3	3 (f)	3	2
28	Severe	1	3	1	3	3 (f)	3	3 (f)	3 (f)	3	3 (f)	3 (f)	3
29	Severe	3	3	3	3	2	3	3	2	3	2	2	2
40	Severe	3	3	2	—	—	—	2	2	3	3	3	3
52	Severe	3	3	1	3	3	1	—	—	—	3	3	1
53	Severe	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Controls	Normal	3	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Histopathological classification of inflammatory activity.
^#Galectin-2, galectin-3, and galectin-4 expression in epithelial cells present in the area.
^†Galectin expression is graded according to a 4-level scale as follows: 0 = negative, 1 = trace, 2 = weak expression, and 3 = strong expression.
Empty fields (not marked with 0–3) mean no presence of cryptitis, abscess, or ulceration.
^‡Focal distribution in some cells in the area.