Assessment of Galectin-1, Galectin-3, and Prostaglandin E2 Levels in Patients with COVID-19.

It is important to determine the inflammatory biomarkers in the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with the emergence of the pandemic. Galectins and prostaglandins play important roles in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate Galectin-1 (Gal-1), Galectin-3 (Gal-3), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels in patients with COVID-19. Serum concentrations of Gal-1, Gal-3, and PGE2 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on 84 patients with COVID-19 (severe = 29 and nonsevere = 55) and 56 healthy controls. In this study, increased levels of Gal-1 (median, 9.86, 6.35, and 3.67 ng/mL), Gal-3 (median, 415.31, 326.33, and 243.13 pg/mL), and PGE2 (median, 193.17, 192.58, and 124.62 pg/mL) levels were found in patients with COVID-19 than in healthy controls (P < 0.001 for all). In the severe disease group, Gal-3 levels were higher, while no differences were noted in Gal-1 and PGE2 levels (P = 0.011, P = 0.263, and P = 0.921, respectively). Serum levels of Gal-1 were positively correlated with those of Gal-3 (P = 0.871 and P < 0.001). Gal-3, C-reactive protein, lymphocyte count, and age were found as independent predictors of disease severity (P = 0.002, P = 0.001, P = 0.007, and P = 0.003, respectively). With the emergence of effective drug needs in the COVID-19 pandemic, differentiation of severe disease is important. Therefore, Gal-3 could be a potential prognostic biomarker of COVID-19.

Diagnostic Significance of Serum Galectin-3 in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19-A Preliminary Study.

Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with hyperinflammation leading to organ injury, including respiratory failure. Galectin-3 was implicated in innate immunological response to infections and in chronic fibrosis. The aim of our preliminary study was the assessment of the diagnostic utility of serum galectin-3 in patients with COVID-19. The prospective observational study included adult patients admitted with active COVID-19 and treated in tertiary hospital between June and July 2020. The diagnosis was confirmed by the quantitative detection of nucleic acid of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in nasopharyngeal swabs. Galectin-3 was measured by enzyme immunoassay in serum samples obtained during the first five days of hospital stay. We included 70 patients aged 25 to 73 years; 90% had at least one comorbidity. During the hospital stay, 32.9% were diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and 12.9% required treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU). Serum galectin-3 was significantly increased in patients who developed pneumonia, particularly those who required ICU admission. Positive correlations were found between galectin-3 and inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, ferritin, pentraxin-3), a marker of endothelial injury (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1), and a range of tissue injury markers. Serum galectin-3 enabled the diagnosis of pneumonia with moderate diagnostic accuracy and the need for ICU treatment with high diagnostic accuracy. Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that galectin-3 may be involved in severe COVID-19. Further studies are planned to confirm the preliminary results and to verify possible associations of galectin-3 with long-term consequences of COVID-19, including pulmonary fibrosis.

Hyperinflammation and Fibrosis in Severe COVID-19 Patients: Galectin-3, a Target Molecule to Consider.

COVID-19 disease have become so far the most important sanitary crisis in the XXI century. In light of the events, any clinical resource should be considered to alleviate this crisis. Severe COVID-19 cases present a so-called cytokine storm as the most life-threatening symptom accompanied by lung fibrosis. Galectin-3 has been widely described as regulator of both processes. Hereby, we present compelling evidences on the potential role of galectin-3 in COVID-19 in the regulation of the inflammatory response, fibrosis and infection progression. Moreover, we provide a strong rationale of the utility of measuring plasma galectin-3 as a prognosis biomarker for COVID-19 patients and propose that inhibition of galectin-3 represents a feasible and promising new therapeutical approach.

Is periodontal disease a risk factor for developing severe Covid-19 infection? The potential role of Galectin-3.

IMPACT STATEMENT: There could be a close relationship between periodontal diseases (PDs) severity and Covid-19 infections. This relationship could be caused by Galectin-3-mediated increased immune response and increased viral attachment. Keeping PDs under control and maintaining rigorous oral hygiene during this troubled Covid-19 pandemic period is very important.Patients with older age and pre-existing conditions like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are in the higher risk group for developing severe Covid-19 infections. The inflammatory pathways that are involved in these conditions are the same pathways that we see in periodontal diseases (PDs). This raises a significant question: Is PD a pre-existing condition that can increase the risk of developing severe Covid-19 infection? Several studies have shown that Galectins play a key role in the homeostasis of immune cells, and recently, a relationship was found between Covid-19 and Galectin-3 (Gal-3).It has been determined that an important area in the spike protein of Coronavirus-19 is almost exactly the same as the morphology of Gal-3, and these spike proteins are critical for the entry of the virus into host cells. We suspect that there is enough evidence to support a close relationship between PDs severity and Covid-19 infections. There is accumulating evidence to suggest a relationship between the severity of PD and the risk of infection with Covid-19, which requires further investigation. This relationship could be caused by Gal-3-mediated increased immune response and increased viral attachment. In this context, we want to emphasize the importance of keeping PD under control by maintaining rigorous oral hygiene during this troubled Covid-19 pandemic period. We would also like to point out the possibility that having PD may be a pre-disposition toward developing a severe Covid-19 infection.