Is galectin-3 associated with urinary albumin excretion in type 2 diabetes?

Introduction: The relationship between galectin-3 and diabetes mellitus or renal function has recently been investigated. In this study, we tried to evaluate the association of galectin-3 in urinary albumin excretion levels in type 2 diabetic patients. Material and methods: In a group of 137 type 2 diabetes patients, the mean of the last three urinary microalbumin/creatinine ratios and galectin-3 levels were evaluated. The patient group was divided into three subgroups according to their level of albuminuria calculated with urine microalbumin/creatinine ratio. Results: There was no significant difference between the galectin values of the three subgroups. Significant differences were observed between GFR results of group 1 vs. 3 (p < 0.0001) and group 2 vs. 3 (p = 0.0006), and serum creatinine results of group 1 vs. 3 (p = 0.0003) and group 2 vs. 3 (p < 0.0001). The three subgroups did not reveal any significant difference concerning the age, BMI, duration of DM, FPG, and HbA(1c) levels. Conclusions: We concluded that serum galectin-3 values are not affected by the levels of urinary albumin excretion in DM patients. We could not find any relation between galectin-3 and the parameters of DM such as FPG, HbA1c, and duration of the disease.