title: Galectin-3 predicts response to statin therapy in the Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure (CORONA).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether plasma galectin-3, a mediator of fibrogenesis, can identify patients with chronic heart failure (HF) for whom statins are effective.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with ischaemic systolic HF enrolled in the Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure (CORONA) were randomly assigned to 10 mg/day of rosuvastatin or placebo. Galectin-3 was measured in plasma. The primary outcome was cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Of 1492 patients, 411 had a primary event during a median follow-up of 32.8 months. There was an interaction between baseline galectin-3 and rosuvastatin on the primary endpoint (P-value for interaction = 0.036). Among patients with below the median plasma concentrations of galectin-3 (≤ 19.0 ng/mL), those assigned to rosuvastatin had a lower primary event rate [hazard ratio (HR) 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.46-0.92; P= 0.014], lower total mortality (HR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.50-0.98; P= 0.038), and lower event rate of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalizations (HR 0.72; 95% CI, 0.54-0.98; P= 0.017) compared with placebo, but no benefit was observed in patients with higher levels of galectin-3. The combination of concurrently low concentrations of galectin-3 and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (<102.7 pmol/L) identified patients with a large benefit with rosuvastatin (HR 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16-0.67; P= 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with systolic HF of ischaemic aetiology who have galectin-3 values <19.0 ng/mL may benefit from rosuvastatin treatment. However, the data from this post hoc analysis should be interpreted with caution since the overall results of the CORONA study did not show a significant effect on the primary endpoint.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo N-0027, Norway. lars.gullestad@medisin.uio.no
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gullestad
authors.forename: Thor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueland
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kjekshus
authors.forename: Ståle H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Nymo
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hulthe
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muntendam
authors.forename: Aram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adourian
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Böhm
authors.forename: Dirk J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: van Veldhuisen
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komajda
authors.forename: John G F
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wikstrand
authors.forename: John J V
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McMurray
authors.forename: Pål
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aukrust
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D054143:Heart Failure, Systolic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D037502:Galectin 3; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013449:Sulfonamides; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D002097:C-Reactive Protein