Validity of galactin-3 in acromegaly: comparison with traditional markers.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Acromegaly occurs due to overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has recently emerged as a novel biomarker, related to IGF-1. This study aimed to assess Gal-3 in patients with acromegaly and compare its effectiveness with traditional biomarker tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized case control study conducted in a single center included 50 acromegaly patients and 40 apparently healthy subjects (HS) serve as control group matched both age and BMI. Laboratory test was measured by routine assay used in center. Gal-3, GH, and IGF-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULT: There were 50 patients with an average age of 50.40 ± 12.229 (50% of males). Compared with HS, patients' serum GAL-3 levels have increased significantly. The serum GAL-3 exceeds 14.363 ng/ml, with a sensitivity of 100.0 and a specificity of 100.0. Furthermore, serum Gal-3 levels in combination with traditional tests (GH and IGF-1) by DeLoongs test had a significant difference in discriminating acromegaly more accurately than traditional tests. CONCLUSION: In a summary, this study recommended clinicians measure serum Gal-3 as biomarkers for patients with acromegaly. In addition, the result above shed light on role of Gal-3 on acromegaly pathogenesis and might provide a therapeutic target of acromegaly patients.