Research advances of Gal-3 in renal fibrosis / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Chronic kidney disease(CKD) has become a global public health problem, deterioration of the disease to end-stage renal disease(ESRD) will bring heavy burdens to individuals, families and society. The essence of CKD is occurrence and development of renal fibrosis led by continuous stimulation of chronic inflammation. Galectin-3(Gal-3) is a multifunctional protein, which can not only regulate the activation of macrophages in inflammatory response, produce cytokines such as transforming growth factor(TGF)-β, promote the occurrence of renal fibrosis, but also regulate the expression of collagen in the process of tissue remodeling, promote renal fibrosis, and play an irreplaceable role in inflammation and fibrosis. Both modified citrus fructose(MCP) and GCS-100 are Gal-3 inhibitors, which can alleviate renal injury to a certain extent and are potential targets for anti-renal fibrosis therapy. However, Gal-3 has been shown to have a protective effect on the kidney. In the early stage of chronic renal injury, the anti-apoptosis effect of Gal-3 can protect glomeruli and tubules from chronic injury. The present paper mainly reviews the role of Gal 3 in renal fibrosis.