Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026
An Experimental Model of Myocardial Infarction for Studying Cardiac Repair and Remodeling in Knockout Mice
Published on: July 14, 2023
Evaluation of Galectin-3 as a Novel Biomarker for Chagas Cardiomyopathy
Márcia Maria Noya-Rabelo1, Ticiana Ferreira Larocca, Carolina Thé Macêdo
1Department of Cardiology, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, Brazil.
Insights
This study found no link between Galectin-3 (Gal-3) levels and heart scarring in Chagas disease patients. Early detection of cardiac damage in Chagas disease requires further investigation beyond Gal-3.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Chagas cardiomyopathy presents poorer long-term outcomes compared to other cardiomyopathies.
- Early identification of cardiac damage in Chagas disease is crucial for improved patient management.
- Galectin-3 (Gal-3), a known mediator of cardiac fibrosis, is upregulated in animal models of heart failure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between plasma Galectin-3 (Gal-3) levels and myocardial fibrosis in patients diagnosed with Chagas disease.
- To assess the potential of Gal-3 as a biomarker for detecting cardiac damage in Chagas disease.
Main Methods:
- The study included 61 patients with Chagas disease.
- Participants underwent clinical evaluation, Doppler echocardiography, and magnetic resonance imaging.
- Plasma Gal-3 concentrations were measured using ELISA.
Main Results:
- Myocardial fibrosis, indicated by delayed enhancement (DE), was present in 64% of subjects.
- No significant difference in Gal-3 concentrations was observed between patients with and without myocardial fibrosis (p = 0.18).
- A weak, non-significant correlation (r = 0.098; p = 0.47) was found between Gal-3 levels and the extent of myocardial fibrosis.
Conclusions:
- The degree of myocardial fibrosis in patients with Chagas disease does not correlate with plasma Galectin-3 concentrations.
- Galectin-3 is not a reliable biomarker for assessing cardiac fibrosis in this patient population.
- Further research is needed to identify effective biomarkers for early cardiac damage detection in Chagas disease.
Objectives:
Chagas cardiomyopathy has worse long-term outcomes than other cardiomyopathies. A biomarker strategy to refer subjects for noninvasive cardiac imaging may help in the early identification of cardiac damage in subjects with Chagas disease. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a mediator of cardiac fibrosis shown to be upregulated in animal models of decompensated heart failure. Here we assessed the correlation of Gal-3 with myocardial fibrosis in patients with Chagas disease.
Methods:
This study comprised 61 subjects with Chagas disease. All subjects underwent clinical assessments, Doppler echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging. Plasmatic Gal-3 was determined by ELISA.
Results:
Delayed enhancement (DE) was identified in 37 of 61 subjects (64%). The total amount of myocardial fibrosis was 9.4% [interquartile interval (IQI): 2.4-18.4]. No differences were observed in Gal-3 concentration according to the presence or absence of myocardial fibrosis, with a median Gal-3 concentration of 11.7 ng/ml (IQI: 9.4-15) in subjects with DE versus 12.9 ng/ml (IQI: 9.2-14) in subjects without DE (p = 0.18). No correlation was found between myocardial fibrosis and Gal-3 concentration (r = 0.098; p = 0.47).
Conclusions:
There is no correlation between the degree of myocardial fibrosis and the concentration of Gal-3 in subjects with Chagas disease.
