Predictive value of plasma galectin-3 in patients with chronic heart failure

AIM: To study the predictive value of plasma galectin-3 in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with CHF (New York Heart Association functional class II-IV) caused by coronary heart disease were recruited. The levels of plasma galectin-3 and NT-proBNP were measured by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay. Echocardiography was performed to determine the diastolic left atrial diameter (LAD), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the prognostic value of galectin-3 or NT-proBNP for CHF. RESULTS: The level of galectin-3 was significantly higher in NYHA functional class III and IV compared with that in control (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). The level of plasma galectin-3 was positively correlated with LAD (r = 0.271, p < 0.05) and LVEDD (r = 0.480, p < 0.01), but negatively correlated with LVEF (r = -0.683, p < 0.01). The level of plasma NT-proBNP was positively correlated with LAD (r = 0.481, p < 0.01) and LVEDD (r = 0.270, p < 0.05), but negatively correlated with LVEF (r = -0.516, p < 0.01). AUC was 0.798 when the level of plasma galectin-3 was more than 7.52 ng/ml. The sensitivity to predict CHF was 62.9%, and the specificity was 90%. AUC was 0.901 when the level of plasma NT-proBNP was more than 1143 pg/ml. The sensitivity to predict CHF was 92.8% and the specificity was 85%. CONCLUSIONS: The level of plasma galectin-3 is related to the changes of left ventricular structure and function, indicating that galectin-3 may have been involved in the process of left ventricular remodeling in CHF. The specificity of galectin-3 to predict CHF is higher than NT-proBNP, but not the sensitivity.