Galectin-3 is a protein that belongs to the lectin family, it is expressed in the nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondrion, cell surface, and extracellular space. Galectin-3 has an affinity for β-galactosides and exhibits antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi. It is involved in many biological processes: cell adhesion, cell activation and chemoattraction, cell growth and differentiation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. Given galectin-3’s broad biological functionality, it has been demonstrated to be involved in cancer, inflammation and fibrosis, heart disease, and stroke.
A correlation between galectin-3 expression levels and various types of fibrosis has been found. Galectin-3 is upregulated in cases of liver fibrosis, renal fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Elevated levels of galectin-3 have been found to be significantly associated with higher risk of death in both acute decompensated heart failure and chronic heart failure populations. Also, galectin-3 has been suggested to play important roles in cancer metastasis.