Galectin-3 in patients with coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the change of the inflammatory factor Galectin-3 in patients with coronary heart disease, and the correlation between Galectin-3 and the severity of the disease. To observe changes of Galectin-3 in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) before and after radiofrequency ablation, and the changes of Galectin-3 before and after an interim treatment with a high dose of atorvastatin on patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI).

METHODS: Patients with coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation having normal heart function were selected, among them, the patients with AMI were given a short term treatment of 80mg atorvastatin before PCI, and patients with atrial fibrillation underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation. ELISA technique was equipped to observe the Galectin-3 changes in patients with coronary heart disease and that of patients with AF before and after radiofrequency ablation.

RESULTS: Galectin-3 level of the AMI group was higher than that of the unstable angina pectoris (UAP) group, and its levels were higher than that of the stable angina pectoris (SAP) group, the differences were statistically significant among both groups (P<0.05); Galectin-3 level of multivessel coronary disease group was higher than that of single vessel group, in which a statistically significant difference was noted (P<0.05); There was no statistically significant difference associated in the drop of Galectin-3 levels in patients with AMI after PCI (P>0.05); Galectin-3 of patients with AF decreased after RFCA, but no statistical significance noted (P>0.05); Galectin-3 was negatively correlated with the LVEF value(r=-0.405, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Galectin-3 belongs to a class of inflammatory mediators that is associated with the degree of myocardial inflammation and fibrosis. It is related to the severity of myocardial ischemia and is negatively correlated with the cardiac ejection fraction.