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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

A Flow Cytometry-based Assay for Measuring Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in Cardiac Myocytes After Hypoxia/Reoxygenation
Published on: July 13, 2018
Galectin-3 overexpression protects from cell damage and death by influencing mitochondrial homeostasis
P Matarrese1, N Tinari, M L Semeraro
1Department of Ultrastructures, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
Galectins are a family of proteins involved in several cell processes, including their survival and death. Galectin-3 has in particular been described as an anti-apoptotic molecule entangled with a number of subcellular activities including anoikis resistance. In this work we partially address the mechanisms underlying this activity pointing at two key factors in injury progression: the alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential and the formation of reactive oxygen species. Overexpression of galectin-3 appears in fact to exert a protective effect towards both these events. On the basis of these data, we propose a reappraisal of the role of galectin-3 as a regulator of mitochondrial homeostasis.
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