Therapeutic Potential of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 in Autoimmune Diseases

Galectins are a highly conserved protein family that binds to β-galactosides. Different members of this family play a variety of biological functions in physiological and pathological processes such as angiogenesis, regulation of immune cell activity, and cell adhesion. Galectins are widely distributed and play a vital role both inside and outside cells. They can regulate homeostasis and immune function in vivo through mechanisms such as apoptosis. Recent studies have indicated that galectins exhibit pleiotropic roles in inflammation. Furthermore, emerging studies have found that galectins are involved in the occurrence and development of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes (T1D), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) by regulating cell adhesion, apoptosis, and other mechanisms. This review will briefly discuss the biological characteristics of the two most widely expressed and extensively explored members of the galectin family, galectin-1 and galectin-3, as well as their pathogenetic and therapeutic roles in autoimmune diseases. This information may provide a novel and promising therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases.