Galectin 3 as a new therapeutic target for fibrosis and metabolic disorders in type 2 diabetes

Background: The objective of our research work was to identify the predictive factors of metabolic disorder and the pro-fibrotic factors which would be correlated with high levels of Galectin-3(Gal-3) in a population of patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We carried out an analytical cross-sectional study.We included 260 type 2 diabetics followed in our endocrinology department.For the purpose of determining a threshold value of Gal-3,we asked for a non-diabetic control group. The medical history interview included history of diabetes, use of antihypertensive medications, lipid-lowering medication, smoking habits and physical activity.A careful clinical examination was performed for all patients and all of them underwent a biological analysis with an assay of the plasma concentrations of Galectin-3. Results: Our study included 260 type 2 diabetics with an average age of 59.4±8.9years.The sex ratio was 0.78.We established a threshold for galectin-3 with the best sensitivity and specificity at 11.25ng/ml using the ROC curve.We found a significant positive correlation of Gal-3 with age (p