Department of Dermatology, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
J Rheumatol. 2012 Mar;39(3):539-44. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.110755. Epub 2012 Jan 15.
Galectin-3 is a multifunctional protein implicated in a variety of biological processes including fibrosis, angiogenesis, and immune activation, all of which are associated with the development of systemic sclerosis (SSc). We investigated the clinical significance of serum galectin-3 levels in SSc.
Serum galectin-3 levels were determined by a specific ELISA in 58 patients with SSc and 19 healthy controls.
Serum galectin-3 levels were significantly lower in patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) than in controls (3.29 ± 3.27 ng/ml vs 4.91 ± 2.67 ng/ml, respectively; p < 0.05), while being comparable between limited cutaneous SSc (3.70 ± 2.39 ng/ml) and healthy controls. In dcSSc, serum galectin-3 levels significantly correlated with total skin score (r = 0.45, p < 0.05). Serum galectin-3 levels were significantly decreased in early dcSSc (disease duration < 1 year; 1.64 ± 1.74 ng/ml; p < 0.05), but not in mid-stage dcSSc (1 to 6 years; 3.22 ± 3.16 ng/ml) or late-stage dcSSc (> 6 years; 4.86 ± 4.10 ng/ml), compared with controls. Serum galectin-3 levels were higher in SSc patients with both digital ulcers (DU) and elevated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) than in those without each symptom (DU: 5.44 ± 3.74 ng/ml vs 2.99 ± 2.36 ng/ml, p < 0.05; elevated RVSP: 4.44 ± 3.14 ng/ml vs 2.82 ± 2.64 ng/ml, p < 0.05).
Galectin-3 may be related to the developmental process of skin sclerosis in dcSSc and of DU and pulmonary vascular involvements in total SSc.
半乳糖凝集素-3 是一种多功能蛋白，参与多种生物学过程，包括纤维化、血管生成和免疫激活，所有这些都与系统性硬化症（SSc）的发展有关。我们研究了 SSc 患者血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平的临床意义。
采用特定的 ELISA 法检测 58 例 SSc 患者和 19 例健康对照者的血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平。
弥漫性皮肤型 SSc（dcSSc）患者血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平明显低于对照组（分别为 3.29 ± 3.27ng/ml 和 4.91 ± 2.67ng/ml，p < 0.05），而局限性皮肤型 SSc（lcSSc）患者血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平与对照组相当（3.70 ± 2.39ng/ml）。在 dcSSc 患者中，血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平与总皮肤评分显著相关（r = 0.45，p < 0.05）。早期 dcSSc（病程<1 年；1.64 ± 1.74ng/ml；p < 0.05）患者血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平明显降低，但中期 dcSSc（1-6 年；3.22 ± 3.16ng/ml）或晚期 dcSSc（>6 年；4.86 ± 4.10ng/ml）患者血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平与对照组相比无差异。有指（趾）溃疡（DU）和右心室收缩压（RVSP）升高的 SSc 患者血清半乳糖凝集素-3 水平高于无此两种症状的患者（DU：5.44 ± 3.74ng/ml 与 2.99 ± 2.36ng/ml，p < 0.05；RVSP 升高：4.44 ± 3.14ng/ml 与 2.82 ± 2.64ng/ml，p < 0.05）。
半乳糖凝集素-3 可能与 dcSSc 皮肤硬化的发展过程以及总 SSc 的 DU 和肺血管受累有关。
