Galectin-3 in diabetic patients

Abstract Galectin-3 is a versatile molecule which exerts several and sometimes opposite functions in various pathophysiological processes. Recently, galectin-3 has gained attention as a powerful predictor of heart failure and mortality, thus becoming a useful prognostic marker in clinical practice. Moreover, though not specifically investigated in diabetic cohorts, plasma levels of galectin-3 correlated with the prevalence of diabetes and related metabolic conditions, thus suggesting that pharmacological blockade of this lectin might be successful for treating heart failure especially in subjects suffering from these disorders. Indeed, galectin-3 is considered not only as a marker of heart failure, but also as a mediator of the disease, due to its pro-fibrotic action, though evidence comes mainly from studies in galectin-3 deficient mice. However, these studies have provided contrasting results, with either attenuation or acceleration of organ fibrosis and inflammation, depending on th