Protumorigenic galectins 1 and 3 are upregulated in the liver of mice exposed to continuous growth hormone levels

SANTIAGO DE LA FUENTE; VERÓNICA GABRIELA PIAZZA; NADIA SOFÍA CICCONI; MARÍA LORENA BACIGALUPO; LUCIANA SARRIAS; ANA ISABEL SOTELO; ANDRZEJ BARTKE; MARÍA FERNANDA TRONCOSO; JOHANNA GABRIELA MIQUET

Buenos Aires

Congreso; XXVII Congreso de la Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado.; 2022

Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado.ALEH

INTRODUCTION: Human and animal evidence revealed a link between growth hormone (GH) andcancer risk. GH excess is implicated in rodent hepatocarcinogenesis. Transgenic miceoverexpressing GH (GH-Tg) develop hepatocellular tumors at old ages, with preneoplastic liverpathology similar to that observed in humans at high risk of developing hepatic cancer. Galectin 1(GAL1) is involved in liver tumorigenesis in humans. We reported that GAL1 is upregulated in GH-Tg mice liver, even before histopathological alterations are detected, and particularly enhanced inliver tumors.OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if GH modulates the hepatic expression of GAL3, another protumorigenicgalectin. As many proteins exhibit sexually dimorphic liver expression, mainly determined bydistinct GH secretion patterns between males (intermittent) and females (more continuous), weassessed if GAL1 and GAL3 liver expression was affected by GH secretion pattern.METHODS: Hepatic GAL1 or GAL3 were analyzed by immunoblotting in GH-Tg mice exposed tocontinuously elevated GH levels, and in Swiss-Webster mice treated with GH during 5 weeks byimplantation of osmotic pumps (continuous treatment) or by two daily injections (intermittenttreatment). Statistics: Student´s t-test or two-way ANOVA; P