Research Center for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Rheumatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Rheumatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2024 Oct 6;23(5):476-488. doi: 10.18502/ijaai.v23i5.16777.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by synovial tissue transformation and fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS) proliferation. Galectin-3 is gaining attention as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for RA diagnosis. Elevated levels of Galectin-3 cause RA-FLSs to stimulate and generate proinflammatory agents, contributing to cartilage degradation and osteoclast formation. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate published evidence and support future investigation of Galectin-3 as an early biomarker for RA. A systematic search was performed through four databases, including PubMed, the Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, to find the studies examining Galectin-3 in individuals with RA compared to healthy controls. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Random-effects meta-analysis comparing serum/plasma Galectin-3 levels between individuals with RA and healthy control groups was performed to determine the standardized mean differences (SMD) along with 95% confidence intervals. Following the initial search, studies went through screening. 12 studies, involving 773 patients with RA and 411 healthy controls, were included. Meta-analysis of the included studies revealed that individuals with RA had significantly higher levels of circulatory Galectin-3 compared to healthy control groups (SMD 0.957, 95% CI 0.393 to 1.520). Univariable meta-regression showed no significant association between age, publication year, sample size, or the male percentage with effect size. According to the results, Galectin-3 might be useful as a biomarker for RA. To support these findings, further investigations of Galectin-3 as a possible early biomarker of RA is necessary.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种慢性炎症性疾病，其特征为滑膜组织转化和成纤维样滑膜细胞（FLS）增殖。半乳糖凝集素-3（Galectin-3）作为 RA 诊断的诊断和预后生物标志物受到关注。Galectin-3 水平升高会刺激和产生促炎剂，导致软骨降解和破骨细胞形成，从而导致 RA-FLS 增殖。本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在评估已发表的证据，并支持未来对 Galectin-3 作为 RA 早期生物标志物的研究。通过四个数据库（包括 PubMed、Web of Science、Scopus 和 Embase）进行了系统搜索，以查找比较 RA 患者和健康对照者 Galectin-3 的研究。使用纽卡斯尔-渥太华质量评估量表评估偏倚风险。对 RA 患者和健康对照组之间血清/血浆 Galectin-3 水平进行随机效应荟萃分析，以确定标准化均数差（SMD）及其 95%置信区间。经过初步搜索，研究经过筛选。纳入了 12 项研究，涉及 773 名 RA 患者和 411 名健康对照者。纳入研究的荟萃分析显示，RA 患者的循环 Galectin-3 水平明显高于健康对照组（SMD 0.957，95%CI 0.393 至 1.520）。单变量荟萃回归显示，年龄、发表年份、样本量或男性百分比与效应大小之间无显著关联。根据这些结果，Galectin-3 可能是 RA 的有用生物标志物。为了支持这些发现，需要进一步研究 Galectin-3 作为 RA 早期生物标志物的可能性。
