Mikiko Matsuo, Ayumu Kanbe, Kei Noguchi, Ayumi Niwa, Yuko Imaizumi, Takahito Kuroda, Koki Ichihashi, Takafumi Okubo, Kosuke Mori, Tomohiro Kanayama, Hiroyuki Tomita, Akira Hara
Galectin-3 is a beta-galactoside-binding lectin that plays important roles in diverse physiological functions, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and mRNA splicing. This protein is expressed on inflammatory cells and acts as a local inflammatory mediator. Recently, galectin-3 has been detected in several diseases, such as chronic liver, heart, and kidney diseases, diabetes, viral infection, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, and tumors, and its role as a biomarker has attracted attention. Alpha-galactosylceramide is an artificially synthesized sphingolipid that can induce acute liver injury via the natural killer T pathway...
2024: PloS One