Correlation Analysis of Galectin-3 Serum Level in Obesity with and without Obesity

Abstract

There are more than 3.4 million deaths every year in the world due to overweight and obesity. Obesity is a chronic proinflammatory condition marked by increased lipid and adipose tissues, leading to ectopic fat accumulation with increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Obesity causes a progressive increase in galectin-3 expression, especially in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue in experimental animals. Galectin-3 is upregulated in obesity and is defined as a proinflammatory molecule that can cause insulin resistance. This study aims to analyze differences in galectin-3 levels between obese and non-obese subjects. This was a cross-sectional study, using a total of 80 subjects. The study was conducted throughout August 2022. The samples were grouped into obese and non-obese based on Body Mass Index (BMI). The galectin-3 measurement used the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. Statistical tests used the Mann-Whitney test and Spearmen rho; the test results were significant if the p-value <0.05. The samples were divided into obese and non-obese groups, each group had 40 people. Galectin-3 levels in the obese group were 0.9±0.36 ng/mL significantly higher than the non-obese group’s 0.43±0.11 ng/mL, (p<0.001). There was a strong positive correlation between levels of galectin-3 and BMI, (r=0.866, p<0.001). There is a positive correlation between serum galectin-3 levels and BMI. The greater value of the BMI, the higher levels of galectin-3.