Galectin-3 as a Biomarker of Disease Severity in Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure

*Purpose: A matter of great importance is the discovery of alternative diagnostic measures that can detect liver disease at an early stage, especially when at risk of developing acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF), to optimize outcome and survival. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a lectin that binds to β-galactosides and can be secreted to the systemic circulation, regulating inflammation and fibrosis. Due to its direct role in inflammation and fibrosis, levels of this lectin can reflect the progression of liver damage and the possible consequent multiorgan failure, which is a distinctive characteristic of ACLF. The purpose of this study is to determine if liver Gal-3 expression is a useful biomarker of disease progression. *Methods: Liver samples from cirrhotic patients with compensated, decompensated cirrhosis and ACLF were collected at the time of liver transplant. The liver from donors was used as controls. RNA was extracted and liver Gal-3 expression was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The values obtained were correlated with clinical and biochemical parameters using Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients. A comparison among 3 different groups was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s multiple comparisons test.