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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

A Rat Model of Pouchitis Following Proctocolectomy and Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis Using Dextran Sulfate Sodium
Published on: May 31, 2024
Galectin-3 expression in pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent ileal pouch-anal anastomosis
Eli Brazowski1, Iris Dotan, Hagit Tulchinsky
1Department of Pathology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, affiliated to the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Pathology Institute, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Galectin-3, an endogenous pleiotropic beta-galactoside-binding protein, which is expressed by various malignant and normal cells, regulates many biological and pathological processes, including inflammation. In the present study, we tested a possible correlation between the severity of pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) and the presence of galectin-3(+) macrophages in pouch mucosa. Paraffin-embedded pouch biopsies from patients with normal pouch function or chronic and recurrent acute pouchitis were immunohistostained with galectin-3, CD68, and smooth muscle actin (SMA) antibodies. Microscopic examination was performed in a blinded fashion. There was a significant decrease in the staining index of galectin-3 in the subepithelial macrophages in patients with chronic pouchitis (0.53, P=0.001; n=12) or recurrent acute pouchitis (0.43, P=0.008; n=10) when compared to patients with no clinical manifestations of pouchitis (0.63, n=12). No significant differences were noted in the lamina propria of small intestine biopsies from the same patients (from 0.63 to 0.68, P=0.24). Galectin-3 staining was restricted to CD68(+) macrophages and not present in myofibroblasts. Clinical manifestation of pouchitis is inversely correlated with galectin-3 expression in the pouches' subepithelial lamina propria macrophages.
Galectin-3, an endogenous pleiotropic beta-galactoside-binding protein, which is expressed by various malignant and normal cells, regulates many biological and pathological processes, including inflammation. In the present study, we tested a possible correlation between the severity of pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) and the presence of galectin-3(+) macrophages in pouch mucosa. Paraffin-embedded pouch biopsies from patients with normal pouch function or chronic and recurrent acute pouchitis were immunohistostained with galectin-3, CD68, and smooth muscle actin (SMA) antibodies. Microscopic examination was performed in a blinded fashion. There was a significant decrease in the staining index of galectin-3 in the subepithelial macrophages in patients with chronic pouchitis (0.53, P=0.001; n=12) or recurrent acute pouchitis (0.43, P=0.008; n=10) when compared to patients with no clinical manifestations of pouchitis (0.63, n=12). No significant differences were noted in the lamina propria of small intestine biopsies from the same patients (from 0.63 to 0.68, P=0.24). Galectin-3 staining was restricted to CD68(+) macrophages and not present in myofibroblasts. Clinical manifestation of pouchitis is inversely correlated with galectin-3 expression in the pouches' subepithelial lamina propria macrophages.
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