Serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A member 3 (SERPINA3), is overexpressed in glioma and associated with poor prognosis in glioma patients

Glioma is the most common and aggressive human primary tumor in the central nervous system. Despite present clinical advancements, median survival time remains poor in this malignant tumor. Serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A member 3 (SERPINA3), is a member of the serpin superfamily of protease inhibitors. Its aberrant expression has been observed in various tumors. However, its clinical significance and biological function in glioma remain unclear, especially for the prognosis of glioma patients. In this study, we investigated SERPINA3 expression in glioma tissue samples and its significance in predicting the prognosis of glioma patients. SERPINA3 protein expression was studied by immunohistochemistry, while real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to study SERPINA3 mRNA expression. We found that SERPINA3 was upregulated in glioma tissue at both mRNA and protein levels, compared with noncancerous brain tissues. We also found that high SERPINA3 expression in glioma tissues correlated significantly with advanced World Health Organization grade. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that high SERPINA3 expression was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival of glioma patients. Moreover, our findings were further validated by online Oncomine database. Taken together, our results suggest that SERPINA3 plays an oncogenic role in glioma progression and provide an insight into the application of SERPINA3 as a novel predictor of clinical outcomes and a potential biomarker of glioma.