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Increased levels of galectin-3 were associated with prediabetes and diabetes: new risk factor?

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Abstract

Purpose

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a marker of cardiac fibrosis and predicts incident heart failure. Gal-3-deficient mice are resistant to multiple low-dose streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Recent experimental studies suggested an important role for Gal-3 in the regulation of adiposity, metaflammation and type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between Gal-3 and newly diagnosed prediabetes and diabetes.

Methods

Gal-3 concentrations were measured in 118 participants and 56 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and were stratified into normal, prediabetic, and diabetes mellitus subgroups. DM was defined as a plasma glucose level ≥126 mg/dL in the fasting state or ≥200 mg/dL in the second hour after glucose loading. Impaired fasting glucose was defined as an FPG level of 100–125 mg/dL, and impaired glucose tolerance was defined as a 2-h plasma glucose level of 140–199 mg/dL.

Results

Sixty-one patients had prediabetes (Group 1), 57 had diabetes (Group 2), and 56 had neither diabetes nor prediabetes (Group 3). Gal-3 levels correlated with FPG (r = 0.787, P < 0.01), 2hPG (r = 0.833, P < 0.01), CRP (r = 0.501, P < 0.01), and HOMA-IR (r = 0.518, P < 0.01). Gal-3 levels were higher in Group 2 than in Groups 1 and 3 [1,053.9 (358.1) and 744.1 (119.3) vs. 481.7 (175.4) pg/mL; P < 0.001]. Gal-3 is an independent predictor of diabetes in multivariate logistic analysis. In ROC analysis, a Gal-3 cutoff value of 803.55 pg/mL diagnoses diabetes with a sensitivity of 80.7 % and a specificity of 85.5 % (AUC = 0.912).

Conclusions

Gal-3 is a promising biomarker for detecting prediabetes and diabetes.

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Conflict of interest

We declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Turgut Ozal University, Alparslan Türkes Cad. No: 57, 06510, Emek, Ankara, Turkey

    H. Yilmaz & A. Akcay

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Turgut Ozal University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

    M. Cakmak

  3. Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    O. Inan

  4. Agrı State Hospital, Agrı, Turkey

    T. Darcin

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  1. H. Yilmaz
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Correspondence to H. Yilmaz.

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Yilmaz, H., Cakmak, M., Inan, O. et al. Increased levels of galectin-3 were associated with prediabetes and diabetes: new risk factor?. J Endocrinol Invest 38, 527–533 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-014-0222-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-014-0222-2

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