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Galectin-3: a novel biomarker for the prognosis of heart failure
Hilman Zulkifli Amin1, Lukman Zulkifli Amin1, Ika Prasetya Wijaya1
1Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia.
Insights
Galectin-3 shows promise as a prognostic biomarker for heart failure (HF), aiding in predicting cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations. While research is ongoing, its stability offers potential advantages in HF patient management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomarker Research
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Heart failure (HF) presents a significant global health challenge, necessitating improved diagnostic and prognostic tools.
- Galectin-3, a novel biomarker, has gained attention for its role in cardiac fibrosis and inflammation.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved galectin-3 as a predictive tool for HF.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of galectin-3 as a prognostic biomarker in heart failure.
- To evaluate the predictive value of galectin-3 for cardiovascular mortality and re-hospitalization in HF patients.
- To compare galectin-3 with existing HF prognostic biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating galectin-3 in heart failure.
- Analysis of research on galectin-3's association with cardiovascular outcomes.
- Comparative assessment of galectin-3 against biomarkers like NT-proBNP and ST2.
Main Results:
- Numerous studies indicate galectin-3's high predictive value for cardiovascular mortality and re-hospitalization in HF.
- Contradictory findings exist, with some studies showing galectin-3's inferiority to NT-proBNP and ST2.
- Galectin-3 demonstrates stability and potential as an early indicator of cardiac fibrosis, remodeling, and renal impairment.
Conclusions:
- Galectin-3 is a promising prognostic biomarker for heart failure with potential advantages in stability.
- Further research is needed to clarify its role and optimal use compared to existing biomarkers.
- Galectin-3 may offer early insights into cardiac and renal complications in HF patients.
Abstract:
Heart failure (HF) is still a global burden which carries substantial risk of morbidity and mortality. Thus, appropriate approach of diagnosis and layering the prognosis of HF are of great importance. In this paper we discuss and review a novel biomarker, which is called galectin-3 and already approved by Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) as a prediction tool for HF. Galectin-3, which is secreted by macrophages under the influence of mediators like osteopontin, has been known for its significant role in mediating cardiac fibrosis and inflammation. Numerous studies have shown galectin-3 as a novel prognostic biomarker with high predictive value for cardiovascular mortality and re-hospitalization in HF patients. However, there are also other contradictive studies displayed galectin-3 inferiority against other existed HF prognostic biomarkers like NT-proBNP and ST2. Nevertheless, galectin-3 has some advantages such as more stability and resistance against hemodynamic loading and unloading state, and also it could act as an early indicator of cardiac fibrosis, ventricular remodeling, and renal impairment in HF patients.
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