Galectin-1 in stable liver transplant recipients.

Introduction: The achievement of a state of tolerance and minimization of the immunosuppressive load form part of the "Holy Grail" in solid organ transplantation. Galectin-1 recently has been described to be involved in the maintenance of a tolerant environment, but there is no evidence of its role in human liver transplantation. The aim of our study was to measure the serum levels of galectin-1 in stable liver transplant recipients.
Methods: Serum levels of galectin-1 were determined in 30 stable liver transplant recipients who had been free of rejection episodes for at least 8 years. Fifteen patients with an acute rejection episode and 34 healthy subjects were used as the control group.
Results: The concentrations of galectin-1 were significantly higher in stable liver transplant recipients compared with healthy subjects and with the acute rejection group.
Conclusions: These preliminary results indicate that galectin-1 is upregulated in stable liver transplant recipients. Thus, our results extend the recent findings that galectin-1 may play an immune-suppressive role in liver transplantation. It remains to be established whether it might help to induce tolerance in liver transplantation.
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