半乳糖苷凝集素-3与肥胖及2型糖尿病

Functions of Galectin-3 in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

肥胖及2型糖尿病是代谢紊乱相关的慢性低度系统炎症状态。半乳糖苷凝集素-3(galectin-3)是一种β-半乳糖苷结合蛋白,在炎症、信号转导、细胞增殖与分化等过程中发挥重要作用。新近的研究表明,半乳糖苷凝集素-3在患肥胖和2型糖尿病的人及鼠类体内高表达,对鼠类体脂的沉积、脂肪细胞分化、血糖浓度、胰岛素敏感性、葡萄糖耐受性和系统炎症等具有重要影响。本文综述了半乳糖苷凝集素-3的结构、分布及其对肥胖和2型糖尿病的调控作用与分子机制,以期为研发针对半乳糖苷凝集素-3靶点的新药提供重要思路和参考。

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are chronic low-grade systemic inflammation states related to metabolic disorders.Galectin-3 is a kind of beta-galactoside-binding lectin,and functions in inflammation,signal transduction,cells proliferation and differentiation.Recent studies showed that gene expression of galectin-3 was increased in patients of obesity and type 2 diabetes,and exerted a great influence on body fat deposition,adipocyte differentiation,blood glucose concentration,insulin sensitivity,glucose tolerance and systemic inflammation in rodents.This review focuses on the structural characteristics and distributions of galectin-3,as well as its regulatory effects on obesity and type 2 diabetes.We wish to provide a valuable reference for exploring new drugs targeting galectin-3.