Galectin-3 as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of essential hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a carbohydrate-binding protein that has important regulatory roles in inflammation, immunity and cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of Gal-3 level with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) related to hypertension (HT). Thirty seven patients (Group I) with newly diagnosed hypertension (HT) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)were included in the study. Thirty eight patients with newly diagnosed hypertension without LVH (Group II) and 38 normotensive healthy volunteers (Group III) were included in the study as control group. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed and Gal-3 was measured in all patients.Although demographic characteristics of the groups were similar, systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels of Group I and Group II were significantly higher than Group III (p<0.001). Interventricular septum (IVS) thickness, posterior wall (PW) thickness and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were also significantly increased in Group I compared to Group II and Group III. Serum Gal-3 levels in all three groups were seen to be different from each other (p<0.001). Increase of Gal-3 levels has a significant correlation with LVMI, IVS and PW thickness (p<0.001).We determined that Gal-3 levels, even at the newly diagnosed stage of HT,were increased. Moreover, we found strong correlation between Gal-3 levels and left ventricular muscle mass. These results may indicate that increased Gal-3 level is an important marker for target organ damage and high cardiovascular risk in patients with HT. 

___

  • Bahlf, B., Pennert, K., 1992. Reversal of left ventricularhy pertensive patients. A meta analysis of 109 treatment studies. Am. J. Hypertens. 5, 95-102.
  • De Boer, R.A., Yu, L., van Vel dhuisen, D.J., 2010. Galectin-3 in cardiac remodeling and heart failure. Curr. Heart. Fail Rep. 7, 1-8.
  • De Boer, R.A., Lok, D.J., Jaarsma, T., van der Meer, P., Voors, A.A., Hillege HL, van Veldhuisen, D.J. 2011. Predictive value of plasma galectin-3 levels in heart failure with reduced and preserve dejection fraction. Ann. Med. 43, 60-68.
  • De Boer, R.A., van Veldhuisen, D.J., Gansevoort, R.T., Muller, Kobold, A.C., van Gilst, W.H., Hillege, H.L., 2012. The fibrosis marker galectin-3 and outcome in the general population. J. Intern. Med. 272, 55-64.
  • Devereux, R.B., de Simone, G., Koren, M.J., Roman, M.J., Laragh, J.H., 1991. Left ventricular mass as a predictor of development of hypertension. Am. J. Hypertens. 4, 603-607.
  • Devereux, R.B., Wachtell, K., Gerdts, E., Boman, K., Nieminen, M.S., Papademetriou, V., 2004. Prognostic significance of left ventricular mass change during treatment of hypertension. JAMA. 292, 2350-2356.
  • Ho, J.E., Liu, C., Lyass, A., Courchesne, P., Pencina, M.J., Vasan, R.S,, 2012. Galectin-3, a marker of cardiac fibrosis, predicts incident heart failure in the community. J. Am. Coll. Cardio. l60, 1249-1256.
  • Kannel, W.B., 2000. Risk stratification in hypertension: New insights from the Framingham Study. Am. J. Hypertens. 13, 3-10.
  • Laurent, C., Maria, M., Pascal, R., Victoria, C., 2013. Galectin-3 Mediates Aldosterone-Induced Vascular Fibrosis. Arterioscler Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 33, 67-75.
  • Levy, D., Garrison, R.J., Savage, D.D., Kannel, W.B., Castelli, W.P., 1990. Prognostic implication of echocardiographic determined left ventricular mass in the Framingham Heart Study. N. Eng. J. Med. 323, 1706-1707.
  • Lewington, S.,Clarke, R., Collen, S.R., Peto, R., Collins, R., 2002. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: A meta analysis of individual data forone million adults in 61 prospective studies. Prospective studies collaboration. Lancet. 360, 1903-1913.
  • Lok, D.J., Van, Der, Meer, P., de la Porte, P.W., Lipsic, E., Van Wijngaarden, J., Hillege, H.L., 2010. Prognostic value of galectin-3, a novel marker of fibrosis, in patients with chronic heart failure: Data from the DEAL-HF study. Clin. Res. Cardiol. 99, 323- 328.
  • Lopez-Andrès, N., Rossignol, P., Iraqi, W., Fay, R., Nuée, J., Ghio, S., 2012. Association of galectin-3 and fibrosis markers with long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, and dyssynchrony: Insights from the CARE-HF (Cardiac Resynchronization in Heart Failure) trial. Eur. J. Heart Fail. 14, 74-81.
  • Mancia, G., De Backer, G., Dominiczak, A., Cifkova, R., Fagard, R., Germano, G., 2007. Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension: The task force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). European Heart J. 28, 1462-1536.
  • Quinones, M.A., Otto, C.M., Stoddard, M., Waggoner, A., Zoghbi, W.A., 2002. Recommendations for quantification of Doppler echocardiography: A report from the doppler quantification task force of the nomenclature and standards committee of the american society of echocardiography. J. Am. Soc. Echocardiogr. 15, 167-184.