Galectin-3 (LGALS3)
Galectin 3 is a member of the galectin family of β-galactoside-binding proteins and is encoded by LGALS3.
Galectin 3 is a member of the galectin family of β-galactoside-binding proteins and is encoded by LGALS3. It is a multifunctional protein implicated in cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, immune regulation, inflammation, fibrosis, and tumor biology. In biomedical research, galectin 3 is often discussed as both a circulating biomarker and a mechanistic mediator of disease processes, particularly in settings involving tissue injury, chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and cancer.
Functionally, galectin 3 has been associated with pathways relevant to metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease, Metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH), cardiovascular injury, and neuroinflammation. It is also studied as a therapeutic target in oncology, where galectin-1 and galectin-3 are sometimes considered together because of their overlapping roles in tumor progression, immune evasion, and the hallmarks of cancer. Recent studies have also linked galectin 3 to disease contexts involving obesity, proinflammatory cytokine signaling, TGF-β1 and VEGF-related fibrotic or angiocrine pathways, Parkinson's disease, and a range of solid tumors.
Where the papers sit
11 papers from the last 6 months study Galectin-3 (LGALS3) directly · updated from PubMed 12 Oct 2026
Study type 0 clinical trials · 1 human data · 6 preclinical · 4 unclassified
Themes no clear themes · 1 new direction
Those 11 do not share a common subject.
-
LGALS3 appears across cancer, neurological injury, retinal angiogenesis, liver disease, kidney disease, and treatment toxicity. It is variously examined as a biomarker, inflammatory mediator, apoptosis-associated gene, or therapeutic target. Inhibitor and targeting studies coexist with multi-omics, network-pharmacology, and clinical biomarker work, without a shared disease mechanism or endpoint. The collection shows no consistent therapeutic or translational direction.
Galectin-3 is repurposed as a tumor-targeting moiety rather than a disease mediator, biomarker, or therapeutic target
The coil-coiled theranostic system for tumor xenografts uses truncated human Galectin-3 as the targeting component, exploiting its binding to β-galactoside-containing oligosaccharides on tumor-cell membranes to deliver biotinylated doxorubicin. This assigns LGALS3 a carrier-and-recognition role in drug delivery, rather than the biomarker, pathogenic mediator, or inhibited target roles used by the other studies, opening a modular strategy in which the Galectin-3 targeting moiety can direct therapeutic cargo to ligand-expressing tumors 42363882Jun.
Papers
The 11 papers from the last 6 months that study Galectin-3 (LGALS3) directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
No clear themes (11)
- Bellidifolin alleviates doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity: a study integrating network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation. Die Naturwissenschaften · 22 Sept 2026 PMID 42771163
- Multi-omics integration identifies VIM and LGALS3 as apoptosis-associated genes in astrocytes after traumatic brain injury. Neuroscience · 19 Aug 2026 PMID 42617790
- Disrupting galectin-3 and NET-mediated microglia-neutrophil cross-talk suppresses pathological retinal angiogenesis. Science translational medicine · 5 Aug 2026 PMID 42555755
- Biomarkers in predicting mortality in hemodialysis patients: recent advances. Polish archives of internal medicine · 15 Jul 2026 PMID 42455729
- Effects of Galectin-3 inhibitors paired with direct current stimulation in preclinical models of aggressive meningioma. Molecular biology reports · 27 Jun 2026 PMID 42363999
- Engineering Coil-Coiled Domains for the Design of Modular Theranostic Agents: Galectin-3 as a Targeting Moiety. Biomacromolecules · 27 Jun 2026 PMID 42363882
- Hepatokines lipocalin 2 and osteopontin drive muscle atrophy in MASH. Molecular metabolism · 10 Jun 2026 PMID 42270040
- Molecular Insights into Parkinson's Disease Progression: A Multi-omics Analysis of the Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta across Braak Stages. Experimental neurobiology · 14 May 2026 PMID 42130054
- Modified citrus pectin modulates splenic immune responses and galectin expression following cisplatin treatment in Wistar rats. Journal of molecular histology · 13 May 2026 PMID 42126478
- Plasma small-extracellular vesicles' proteomic signature in neoadjuvant chemotherapy-naïve breast cancer patients. PloS one · 5 May 2026 PMID 42085441
- An Orally Available Halothiazole Glycomimetic as a Cancer-Targeting Dual Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 Inhibitor. Journal of medicinal chemistry · 29 Apr 2026 PMID 42052938
By study type
Human data, design not indexed (1)
- Plasma small-extracellular vesicles' proteomic signature in neoadjuvant chemotherapy-naïve breast cancer patients. PloS one · 5 May 2026 PMID 42085441
Preclinical: animal, cell and lab studies (6)
- Bellidifolin alleviates doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity: a study integrating network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation. Die Naturwissenschaften · 22 Sept 2026 PMID 42771163
- Disrupting galectin-3 and NET-mediated microglia-neutrophil cross-talk suppresses pathological retinal angiogenesis. Science translational medicine · 5 Aug 2026 PMID 42555755
- Effects of Galectin-3 inhibitors paired with direct current stimulation in preclinical models of aggressive meningioma. Molecular biology reports · 27 Jun 2026 PMID 42363999
- Engineering Coil-Coiled Domains for the Design of Modular Theranostic Agents: Galectin-3 as a Targeting Moiety. Biomacromolecules · 27 Jun 2026 PMID 42363882
- Modified citrus pectin modulates splenic immune responses and galectin expression following cisplatin treatment in Wistar rats. Journal of molecular histology · 13 May 2026 PMID 42126478
- An Orally Available Halothiazole Glycomimetic as a Cancer-Targeting Dual Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 Inhibitor. Journal of medicinal chemistry · 29 Apr 2026 PMID 42052938
Unclassified: not yet indexed with MeSH (4)
- Multi-omics integration identifies VIM and LGALS3 as apoptosis-associated genes in astrocytes after traumatic brain injury. Neuroscience · 19 Aug 2026 PMID 42617790
- Biomarkers in predicting mortality in hemodialysis patients: recent advances. Polish archives of internal medicine · 15 Jul 2026 PMID 42455729
- Hepatokines lipocalin 2 and osteopontin drive muscle atrophy in MASH. Molecular metabolism · 10 Jun 2026 PMID 42270040
- Molecular Insights into Parkinson's Disease Progression: A Multi-omics Analysis of the Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta across Braak Stages. Experimental neurobiology · 14 May 2026 PMID 42130054
Written from 11 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-06-15. Last written: 2026-09-24 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.