Galectin-3: its role in asthma and potential as an anti-inflammatory target

Respiratory Research

Peter G Gibson¹  Jie Zhang³  Jodie L Simpson¹  Peng Gao² 

[1] Priority Research Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases and Hunter Medical Research Institute, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia;Changchun Central Hospital, Changchun, Jilin, China;Department of Respiratory Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China

关键词: Airway remodeling;    Airway hyperresponsiveness;    Leukocyte;    Inflammation;    Galectin-3;   

Others  :  792220
DOI  :  10.1186/1465-9921-14-136

 received in 2013-06-21, accepted in 2013-12-04,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Galectins constitute an evolutionary conserved family that bind to β-galactosides. Increasing evidence shows that galectins are involved in many fundamental biological processes such as cellular communication, inflammation, differentiation and apoptosis. Changes in galectin-3 (Gal-3) expression are commonly seen in cancer and pre-cancerous conditions, and Gal-3 may be involved in the regulation of diverse cancer cell activities that contribute to tumourigenesis, cancer progression and metastasis. In addition, Gal-3 is a pro-inflammatory regulator in rheumatoid arthritis. Gal-3 has been shown to be involved in many aspects in allergic inflammation, such as eosinophil recruitment, airway remodeling, development of a Th2 phenotype as well as increased expression of inflammatory mediators. In an in vivo model it was shown that bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from ovalbumin-challenged mice contained significantly higher levels of Gal-3 compared to control mice. The molecular mechanisms of Gal-3 in human asthma have not been fully elucidated. This review will focus on what is known about the Gal-3 and its role in the pathophysiological mechanisms of asthma to evaluate the potential of Gal-3 as a biomarker and therapeutic target of asthma.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Gao et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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