title: Evaluation of Galectin-3 as a Novel Biomarker for Chagas Cardiomyopathy.
abstract: Chagas cardiomyopathy has worse long-term outcomes than other cardiomyopathies. A biomarker strategy to refer subjects for noninvasive cardiac imaging may help in the early identification of cardiac damage in subjects with Chagas disease. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a mediator of cardiac fibrosis shown to be upregulated in animal models of decompensated heart failure. Here we assessed the correlation of Gal-3 with myocardial fibrosis in patients with Chagas disease.
  
  
  
  This study comprised 61 subjects with Chagas disease. All subjects underwent clinical assessments, Doppler echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging. Plasmatic Gal-3 was determined by ELISA.
  
  
  
  Delayed enhancement (DE) was identified in 37 of 61 subjects (64%). The total amount of myocardial fibrosis was 9.4% [interquartile interval (IQI): 2.4-18.4]. No differences were observed in Gal-3 concentration according to the presence or absence of myocardial fibrosis, with a median Gal-3 concentration of 11.7 ng/ml (IQI: 9.4-15) in subjects with DE versus 12.9 ng/ml (IQI: 9.2-14) in subjects without DE (p = 0.18). No correlation was found between myocardial fibrosis and Gal-3 concentration (r = 0.098; p = 0.47).
  
  
  
  There is no correlation between the degree of myocardial fibrosis and the concentration of Gal-3 in subjects with Chagas disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Noya-Rabelo
authors.forename: Ticiana Ferreira
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Larocca
authors.forename: Carolina Thé
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Macêdo
authors.forename: Jorge Andion
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Torreão
authors.forename: Bruno Solano de Freitas
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Juliana Fraga
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.forename: Luciana Estrella
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Agnaluce Moreira
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ribeiro Dos Santos
authors.forename: Luís Claudio Lemos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.forename: Milena Botelho Pereira
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D037161:Galectins; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D037502:Galectin 3; D037161:Galectins; C428445:LGALS3 protein, human