Potiris Anastasios, Fotiou Alexandros, Drakaki Eirini, Potetsianaki Angeliki, Zikopoulos Athanasios, Moustakli Efthalia, Karampitsakos Theodoros, Topis Spyridon, Machairoudias Pavlos, Ouzouni Stamatoula, Gerede Angeliki, Christopoulos Panagiotis, Skentou Charikleia, Domali Ekaterini, Drakakis Peter, Stavros Sofoklis
Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alexandra Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece.
J Clin Med. 2024 Aug 8;13(16):4636. doi: 10.3390/jcm13164636.
Galectin-3 belongs to a family of soluble glycan-binding proteins, which are increasingly recognized as modulators of pregnancy-associated processes, including proper placental development. Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia are significant complications of pregnancy, affecting millions of women annually. Despite their prevalence, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Several theories have been proposed, including inflammation, placental insufficiency, disturbed placental invasion, and angiogenesis. The Scopus and PubMed/MEDLINE databases were utilized until the end of May 2024. In total, 11 articles with 1011 patients, with 558 in the control group and 453 in the preeclampsia group, were included. Seven articles investigated the expression of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in placental tissue samples, eight studies calculated the serum levels of Gal-3 in maternal blood samples, while one study referred to the possible correlation of galectin-3 levels in umbilical cord blood. The results were inconsistent in both the placental tissue and maternal serum; Gal-3 placental expression was found to be statistically increased in five studies compared to that in women without gestational hypertensive disorders, while two studies either mentioned decreased expression or no difference. Similarly, the Gal-3 maternal serum levels, compared to those in women without gestational hypertensive disorders, were found to be statistically increased in five studies, while three studies did not find any statistical difference. Gal-3 can play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and its expression is influenced by gestational age and placental insufficiency. A further investigation ought to be conducted to enlighten the correlation of Gal-3 with gestational hypertension and preeclampsia development.
半乳糖凝集素-3属于可溶性聚糖结合蛋白家族，越来越多地被认为是妊娠相关过程的调节因子，包括正常的胎盘发育。妊娠期高血压和子痫前期是妊娠的重要并发症，每年影响数百万妇女。尽管它们很常见，但其潜在的病理生理机制仍知之甚少。已经提出了几种理论，包括炎症、胎盘功能不全、胎盘侵入障碍和血管生成。使用Scopus和PubMed/MEDLINE数据库至2024年5月底。总共纳入了11篇文章，涉及1011例患者，其中对照组558例，子痫前期组453例。7篇文章研究了半乳糖凝集素-3（Gal-3）在胎盘组织样本中的表达，8项研究计算了母血样本中Gal-3的血清水平，而1项研究提到了脐带血中半乳糖凝集素-3水平的可能相关性。胎盘组织和母血清中的结果不一致；与无妊娠高血压疾病的女性相比，5项研究发现Gal-3在胎盘中的表达有统计学意义的增加，而2项研究要么提到表达降低，要么没有差异。同样，与无妊娠高血压疾病的女性相比，5项研究发现母血清中Gal-3水平有统计学意义的增加，而3项研究未发现任何统计学差异。Gal-3可能在子痫前期的发病机制中起关键作用，其表达受胎龄和胎盘功能不全的影响。应该进行进一步的研究，以阐明Gal-3与妊娠期高血压和子痫前期发展的相关性。
