title: Assessment of Galectin-3 Polymorphism in Subjects with Chronic Chagas Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Galectin-3, a β-galactoside binding lectin, has been described as a mediator of cardiac fibrosis in experimental studies and as a risk factor associated with cardiovascular events in subjects with heart failure. Previous studies have evaluated the genetic susceptibility to Chagas disease in humans, including the polymorphisms of cytokine genes, demonstrating correlations between the genetic polymorphism and cardiomyopathy development in the chronic phase. However, the relationship between the galectin-3 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and phenotypic variations in Chagas disease has not been evaluated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to determine whether genetic polymorphisms of galectin-3 may predispose to the development of cardiac forms of Chagas disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-five subjects with Chagas disease were enrolled in this observational study. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for genotyping the variants rs4644 and rs4652 of the galectin-3 gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the SNP rs4644, the relative risk for the cardiac form was not associated with the genotypes AA (OR = 0.79, p = 0.759), AC (OR = 4.38, p = 0.058), or CC (OR = 0.39, p = 0.127). Similarly, for the SNP rs4652, no association was found between the genotypes AA (OR = 0.64, p = 0.571), AC (OR = 2.85, p = 0.105), or CC (OR = 0.49, p = 0.227) and the cardiac form of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed no association between the different genotypes for both SNPs of the galectin-3 gene and the cardiac form of Chagas disease.
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Gabriela da Silva
authors: Gda S
authors: Cruz
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Ana Luiza Dias
authors: AL
authors: Angelo
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Ticiana Ferreira
authors: TF
authors: Larocca
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Carolina Thé
authors: CT
authors: Macedo
authors: Departamento de Cardiologia, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Márcia
authors: M
authors: Noya-Rabelo
authors: Departamento de Cardiologia, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Luís Claudio Lemos
authors: LC
authors: Correia
authors: Departamento de Cardiologia, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Jorge Andion
authors: JA
authors: Torreão
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Bruno Solano de Freitas
authors: BS
authors: Souza
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Ricardo Ribeiro Dos
authors: RR
authors: Santos
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors: Milena Botelho Pereira
authors: MB
authors: Soares
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001798:Blood Proteins; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000235:genetics*; D037161:Galectins / Q000235:genetics; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D037502:Galectin 3; D037161:Galectins; C428445:LGALS3 protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins