title: Galectin-10, a potential biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation.
abstract: Measurement of eosinophilic airway inflammation can assist in the diagnosis of allergic asthma and in the management of exacerbations, however its clinical implementation remains difficult. Galectin-10 has been associated with eosinophilic inflammation and has the potential to be used as a surrogate biomarker. This study aimed to assess the relationship between galectin-10 in sputum with sputum eosinophil counts, the current gold standard of eosinophil inflammation in the lung. Thirty-eight sputum samples were processed for both eosinophil counts by cytospins and semi-quantitative measurements of galectin-10 by western blots. A strong association was observed between galectin-10 levels in sputum and sputum eosinophil measurements, and they accurately determined sputum eosinophilia. The results support the potential for galectin-10 to be used as a surrogate biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, The Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Justin C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: Jo A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Douglass
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gillman
authors.forename: Robyn E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: O'Hehir
authors.forename: Els N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Meeusen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D037161:Galectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D013183:Sputum / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D037161:Galectins; C523496:galectin 10, human