Immunohistochemical expression of galectin-7 in hypertrophic scars and keloids

Background Cutaneous scarring is almost an inevitable end point of human wound healing. Galectin-7 is a prototype member of galectin family that is thought to play a role during wound healing. Objective To study immunohistochemical expression of galectin-7 in hypertrophic scars and keloids to throw a light on its possible role in the pathogenesis of these scars. Patients and methods This study was conducted on 40 patients with cutaneous scars (23 keloids and 17 hypertrophic scars) and 20 normal healthy controls. Skin biopsy was taken from each participant and examined for immunohistochemical expression of galectin-7. Results Galectin-7 immunohistochemical expression was detected in epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts of both hypertrophic scars and keloids. Its expression in epidermal keratinocytes of hypertrophic scars showed significant decrease in comparison with normal control skin, whereas its expression in the dermal fibroblasts of both hypertrophic scars and keloids showed significant increase in comparison with normal control skin. Additionally, there was a significant increase of galectin-7 expression in dermal fibroblasts of hypertrophic scars compared with keloids. Conclusion Galectin-7 may participate in the pathogenesis of hypertrophic scars and keloids through controlling both epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts. It could be a potential therapeutic target for the management of such scars.