Wang Lin, Zhang Chuqiao, Ji Jiang, Jiao Qingqing
Central Research Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Front Allergy. 2025 Jul 16;6:1614277. doi: 10.3389/falgy.2025.1614277. eCollection 2025.
Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is a multifunctional immunomodulatory molecule involved in cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, communication, and death. Galectin-9 mediates its physiological functions through interactions with multiple membrane receptors, including T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-domain containing-3 (Tim-3), immunoglobulin E, and the hyaluronan receptor CD44. In recent years, Gal-9 has been extensively studied in autoimmune diseases, tumor microenvironments, and viral infections. The circulating levels of this lectin demonstrate clinical correlation with disease progression in both acute and chronic infectious conditions. In addition, Gal-9 can potentially be a reliable, sensitive, and noninvasive biomarker of disease severity in many skin diseases. However, there has not been a review of Gal-9 studies in patients with dermatosis. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding Gal-9's immunomodulatory mechanisms in chronic spontaneous urticaria pathophysiology, systemic lupus erythematosus, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, systemic sclerosis, herpes simplex virus infection, bullous pemphigoid, psoriasis, vitiligo, maculopapular exanthema, and skin grafting to provide a reference for future research. Gal-9 is an important regulator of immune homeostasis whose level changes significantly in many skin diseases, and validation was performed in a mouse model using exogenous Gal-9. Ongoing studies are necessary to clarify the pathophysiology of Gal-9, identify the potential of Gal-9 as a new biomarker, and develop new therapeutic approaches for skin diseases.
半乳糖凝集素-9（Gal-9）是一种多功能免疫调节分子，参与细胞生长、分化、黏附、通讯及死亡过程。Gal-9通过与多种膜受体相互作用介导其生理功能，这些受体包括含T细胞免疫球蛋白黏蛋白结构域-3（Tim-3）、免疫球蛋白E及透明质酸受体CD44。近年来，Gal-9在自身免疫性疾病、肿瘤微环境及病毒感染方面得到了广泛研究。在急性和慢性感染性疾病中，这种凝集素的循环水平均与疾病进展存在临床相关性。此外，Gal-9在许多皮肤疾病中可能是疾病严重程度可靠、敏感且无创的生物标志物。然而，目前尚无关于皮肤病患者Gal-9研究的综述。本综述总结了在慢性自发性荨麻疹病理生理学、系统性红斑狼疮、特应性皮炎、黑色素瘤、系统性硬化症、单纯疱疹病毒感染、大疱性类天疱疮、银屑病、白癜风、斑丘疹性皮疹及皮肤移植中理解Gal-9免疫调节机制的最新进展，为未来研究提供参考。Gal-9是免疫稳态的重要调节因子，其水平在许多皮肤疾病中显著变化，并在使用外源性Gal-9的小鼠模型中进行了验证。有必要开展进一步研究以阐明Gal-9的病理生理学，确定Gal-9作为新型生物标志物的潜力，并开发针对皮肤疾病的新治疗方法。
