Galectin-3 Level in Carotid Artery Stenosis

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 1, 40 - 46, 27.03.2025

Elif Banu Söker , Derya Ozdogru , Miray Erdem

https://doi.org/10.31832/smj.1614604

Abstract

Objective: Carotid atherosclerosis is an important cause of cerebral ischaemic events and asymptomatic diagnosis of patients with advanced carotid artery stenosis is important in preventing stroke-related mortality and morbidity. Galectin-3 is known to increase inflammation by inducing the expression of a number of proinflammatory molecules in plaque pathophysiology. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the utility of serum galectin-3 level as a potential assessment tool for the severity of carotid artery disease.
Material and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted between 06.12.2024 and 26.12.2024 in the stroke outpatient clinic of the department of neurology, Health Sciences University Adana City Training and Research Hospital. A total of 109 patients were included in the study, including 69 consecutive patients admitted with advanced (70-99% stenosis) carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and 40 patients without CAS in carotid imaging were included in the control group. An interventional neurologist and an additional neurologist determined the degree of CAS by examining carotid computed tomography angiography or carotid magnetic resonance angiography. The lipid profile (total cholesterol, high molecular weight lipoprotein, low molecular weight lipoprotein, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B), CRP and albumin levels were recorded. Galectin-3 levels were analysed in serum centrifuged blood.
Results: Age, hypertension incidence rate, triglycerides and Gal-3 values were found to be statistically significantly higher in the advanced CAS group compared to controls. For advanced CAS in ROC analysis; Gal-3 value was found to have a moderate discrimination ability (70-80%).
Conclusion: Our study suggests that Gal-3 levels may be used as a potential marker for the severity of carotid artery disease in CAS patients. Since advanced CAS patients are associated with a high stroke risk in follow-up, it is important that this condition is diagnosed early and treatment is directed.

Keywords

Carotid artery stenosis, Galectin-3, CRP, Albumin, Stroke

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval was granted by Adana City Hospital Ethics Committee on 05.12.2024 with protocol number 247.

Karotis arter stenozunda galectin-3 düzeyi

Abstract

Giriş
Karotis aterosklerozu, serebral iskemik olayların önemli bir nedeni olup ileri karotis arter stenozu olan hastaların asemptomatik dönemde tanı alması inmeye bağlı mortalite ve morbiditenin önlenmesinde önemlidir. Galectin-3’ün plak patofizyolojisinde bir dizi proinflamatuar molekülün ekspresyonunu indükleyerek inflamasyonu arttırdığı bilinmektedir. Bu çalışmada, serum galektin-3 düzeyinin karotis arter hastalığının ciddiyetinde potansiyel bir değerlendirme aracı olarak kullanılabilirliğini değerlendirmeyi amaçladık.
Metod
Bu prospektif kesitsel çalışma, 06.12.2024 ve 26.12.2024 tarihleri arasında Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adana Şehir Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Nöroloji Anabilim Dalı'nda inme polikliniğinde gerçekleştirildi. Çalışmaya ileri (%70-99 darlık) karotis arter stenozu (CAS) nedeni ile başvuran ardışık 69 hasta ve karotis görüntülemelerde CAS saptanmayan 40 hasta kontrol grubunu oluşturmak üzere üzere toplam 109 hasta dahil edildi. Girişimsel nörolog ve ek olarak bir nörolog, karotid bilgisayarlı tomografi anjiografisi ya da karotid manyetik rezonans anjiografisini inceleyerek CAS derecesini belirledi. Katılımcıların lipid profili (total kolesterol, yüksek molekül ağırlıklı lipoprotein, düşük molekül ağırlıklı lipoprotein, trigliserit, apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B), CRP ve albümin düzeyleri kaydedildi. Serum santrifüj kanında Galektin-3 düzeyleri çalışıldı.
Bulgular
İleri CAS grubunda yaş, hipertansiyon görülme oranı, trigliserit ve Gal-3 değerleri kontrollere göre istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı olarak yüksek saptanmıştır. ROC analizinde ileri CAS için; Gal-3 değerinin orta düzeyde (%70-80) ayırma yeteneği olduğunu belirlemiştir.
Sonuç
Çalışmamız, Gal-3 düzeylerinin CAS hastalarında karotis arter hastalığının ciddiyetinde potansiyel bir belirteç olarak kullanılabileceğini düşündürmüştür. Takiplerde ileri CAS hastalarının yüksek inme riski ile ilişkilendirilmesi nedeniyle bu durumun erken tanı alması ve tedavinin yönlendirilmesi önem arz etmektedir.

Keywords

karotis arter stenozu, galektin-3, CRP, albümin, inme

Ethical Statement

Adana şehir hastanesi etik kurulu tarafından 05.12.2024 tarihinde 247 protokol numarası ile etik alınmıştır.

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