Abstract: Objective:To explore the association of MRI features of invasive and noninvasive pituitary adenomas with the expressions of galectin-3(Gal-3) and matrixmetalloproteinase-2(MMP-2).Methods:MRI was performed preoperatively on 43 patients with histologically verified pituitary adenomas;immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the protein expressions of Gal-3 and MMP-2 in the invasive and non-invasive pituitary adenomas tissues.The MRI features and their correlation with the expressions of Gal-3 and MMP-2 were analyzed.Results:The expressions of Gal-3 and MMP-2 in the invasive pituitary adenomas were significantly higher than those in the non-invasive pituitary adenomas(P0.01).The Gal-3 and MMP-2 was positively correlated in invasive pituitary adenomas(P0.01).Conclusions:The expressions of Gal-3 and MMP-2 are closely associated with the aggressiveness of the pituitary adenoma,which may act as potential molecular markers for assessment of the invasive potential of pituitary adenomas.The cleavage of Gal-3 might be responsible for the tumorigenic potential of the cells and provide useful targets for molecular therapeutic strategy against invasive pituitary adenomas.