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Novel Galectin-3 Roles in Neurogenesis, Inflammation and Neurological Diseases
Soares LC, Al-Dalahmah O, Hillis J, Young CC, Asbed I, Sakaguchi M, O'Neill E, Szele FG.. Cells, 2021-11-05
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is an evolutionarily conserved and multifunctional protein that drives inflammation in disease. Gal-3's role in the central nervous system has been less studied than in the immune system. However, recent studies show it exacerbates Alzheimer's disease and is upregulated in a large variety of brain injuries, while loss of Gal-3 function can diminish symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Soares, L. C., Al-Dalahmah, O., Hillis, J., Young, C. C., Asbed, I., Sakaguchi, M., et al. (2021). Novel Galectin-3 Roles in Neurogenesis, Inflammation and Neurological Diseases. Cells. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10113047
Vancouver
Soares LC, Al-Dalahmah O, Hillis J, Young CC, Asbed I, Sakaguchi M, et al. Novel Galectin-3 Roles in Neurogenesis, Inflammation and Neurological Diseases. Cells. 2021. doi:10.3390/cells10113047. PMID: 34831271.
BibTeX
@article{soares2021-34831271,
author = {Soares, L. C. and Al-Dalahmah, O. and Hillis, J. and Young, C. C. and Asbed, I. and Sakaguchi, M. and O'Neill, E. and Szele, F. G.},
title = {{Novel Galectin-3 Roles in Neurogenesis, Inflammation and Neurological Diseases}},
journal = {Cells},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.3390/cells10113047},
pmid = {34831271},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10113047}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Gal-3's role in the central nervous system has been less studied than in the immune system.
- However, recent studies show it exacerbates Alzheimer's disease and is upregulated in a large variety of brain injuries, while loss of Gal-3 function can diminish symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
- Several novel molecular pathways for Gal-3 were recently uncovered.
- It is a natural ligand for TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells), TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4), and IR (insulin receptor).
Why it matters
This review describes Galectin-3 as a protein that drives inflammation and notes that loss of Gal-3 function can diminish symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's in recent studies. It is a review of molecular pathways and does not report a tested treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease in people.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Cells) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Cells: journal h-index 234 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 93 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.3 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 68 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Francis G. Szele: h-index 35 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 34831271) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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