title: Increased levels of galectin-3 were associated with prediabetes and diabetes: new risk factor?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a marker of cardiac fibrosis and predicts incident heart failure. Gal-3-deficient mice are resistant to multiple low-dose streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Recent experimental studies suggested an important role for Gal-3 in the regulation of adiposity, metaflammation and type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between Gal-3 and newly diagnosed prediabetes and diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gal-3 concentrations were measured in 118 participants and 56 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and were stratified into normal, prediabetic, and diabetes mellitus subgroups. DM was defined as a plasma glucose level ≥126 mg/dL in the fasting state or ≥200 mg/dL in the second hour after glucose loading. Impaired fasting glucose was defined as an FPG level of 100-125 mg/dL, and impaired glucose tolerance was defined as a 2-h plasma glucose level of 140-199 mg/dL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-one patients had prediabetes (Group 1), 57 had diabetes (Group 2), and 56 had neither diabetes nor prediabetes (Group 3). Gal-3 levels correlated with FPG (r = 0.787, P < 0.01), 2hPG (r = 0.833, P < 0.01), CRP (r = 0.501, P < 0.01), and HOMA-IR (r = 0.518, P < 0.01). Gal-3 levels were higher in Group 2 than in Groups 1 and 3 [1,053.9 (358.1) and 744.1 (119.3) vs. 481.7 (175.4) pg/mL; P < 0.001]. Gal-3 is an independent predictor of diabetes in multivariate logistic analysis. In ROC analysis, a Gal-3 cutoff value of 803.55 pg/mL diagnoses diabetes with a sensitivity of 80.7 % and a specificity of 85.5 % (AUC = 0.912).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gal-3 is a promising biomarker for detecting prediabetes and diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Turgut Ozal University, Alparslan Türkes Cad. No: 57, 06510, Emek, Ankara, Turkey. drhakkiyilmaz@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Turgut Ozal University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.affiliation: Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Inan
authors.affiliation: Agrı State Hospital, Agrı, Turkey.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Darcin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Turgut Ozal University, Alparslan Türkes Cad. No: 57, 06510, Emek, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akcay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood*; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011236:Prediabetic State / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D037502:Galectin 3
keywords: Diabetes; Galectin-3; Inflammation; Insulin resistance; Prediabetes