Galectins as potential pharmacological targets in renal injuries of diverse etiology.

Ming Gu, Xianglin Mei, Yanan Zhao

European journal of pharmacology 2020 Aug 15

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Galectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins, and their importance in renal diseases of diverse etiology has been documented. Amongst different galectins, the role of galectin-3 in the pathophysiology of renal diseases has been well documented. There is an increase in galectin-3 in the circulation as well as on the kidneys in chronic kidney disease patients. The increase in galectin-3 is negatively correlated with a decrease in renal function and overall survival rate. The preclinical studies also correlate the increase in galectin-3 levels with renal dysfunction. Accordingly, scientists have exploited galectin-3 as a potential pharmacological target to improve renal functions in different preclinical models of renal injury. Apart from galectin-3, there have been few studies documenting the role of galectin-1, 8, and 9 in renal diseases. The role of galectin-1 is not clearly identified, and there have been conflicting reports regarding its role in renal diseases. Galectin-8 and 9 impart renoprotective effects as per clinical and preclinical studies, respectively. The present review discusses the role of different galectins in renal diseases of diverse etiology. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Citation

Ming Gu, Xianglin Mei, Yanan Zhao. Galectins as potential pharmacological targets in renal injuries of diverse etiology. European journal of pharmacology. 2020 Aug 15;881:173213