Galectin-3, Cardiac Function, and Fibrosis

Galectin-3 mediates aldosterone-induced vascular fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE Aldosterone (Aldo) is involved in arterial stiffness and heart failure, but the mechanisms have remained unclear. Galectin-3 (Gal-3), a β-galactoside-binding lectin, plays an important role in inflammation, fibrosis, and heart failure. We investigated here whether Gal-3 is involved in Aldo-induced vascular fibrosis. METHODS AND RESULTS In rat vascular smooth muscle cells Gal-3 overe...

Galectin-3 and Cardiac Function in Survivors of Acute Myocardial Infarction Weir et al: Galectin-3 Post-Infarction Remodeling

Galectin-3 blockade inhibits cardiac inflammation and fibrosis in experimental hyperaldosteronism and hypertension.

Hypertensive cardiac remodeling is accompanied by molecular inflammation and fibrosis, 2 mechanisms that finally affect cardiac function. At cardiac level, aldosterone promotes inflammation and fibrosis, although the precise mechanisms are still unclear. Galectin-3 (Gal-3), a β-galactoside-binding lectin, is associated with inflammation and fibrosis in the cardiovascular system. We herein inves...

Plasma and Cardiac Galectin-3 in Patients With Heart Failure Reflects Both Inflammation and Fibrosis

Dysregulation of myocardial extracellular matrix remodeling and cardiac fibrosis is a key pathological feature of essentially any cardiovascular disease. Myocardial fibrosis contributes to the progression of heart failure and is linked to poor outcome in patients with cardiovascular disease. Consequently, predictors of myocardial fibrosis have been suggested as valuable markers of disease progr...

Galectin-3, a marker of cardiac fibrosis, predicts incident heart failure in the community.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the relation of galectin-3 (Gal-3), a marker of cardiac fibrosis, with incident heart failure (HF) in the community. BACKGROUND Gal-3 is an emerging prognostic biomarker in HF, and experimental studies suggest that Gal-3 is an important mediator of cardiac fibrosis. Whether elevated Gal-3 concentrations precede the development of HF is unknown. ...