title: Serum galectin-3 levels in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Galectin-3 might serve as a biomarker of human metabolic alterations. We measured serum levels of galectin-3 in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and examined their association with clinical and histological phenotypes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of galectin-3 were assayed in 71 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 39 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum galectin-3 levels did not differ in patients with NAFLD (median 4.1 ng/mL; interquartile range: 1.5-5.5 ng/mL) compared with healthy controls (median 3.1 ng/mL; interquartile range: 0.8-7.5 ng/mL, P=0.93). Among patients with NAFLD, however, serum galectin-3 levels correlated significantly with BMI (r=0.267, P<0.05). This association persisted after adjustment for potential confounders (β=0.30; t=2.11, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although galectin-3 was modestly associated with BMI, our results do not support the hypothesis that levels of this molecule are altered in patients with NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Marmara University School of Medicine, 34899 Istanbul, Turkey. yusufyilmaz@uludag.edu.tr
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eren
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Oya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yonal
authors.forename: Zulfikar
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.forename: Ebubekir
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Senates
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bacha
authors.forename: Nese
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imeryuz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
chemical_list: D037502:Galectin 3; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase