Research continues to demonstrate how these reactions are driven by dysregulated immune response including cytokine storm in the acute phase, and sustained inflammation leading to fibrosis and organ scarring, stiffness, and damage as chronic end points.
Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Liver Damage and Beyond
A new study shows the potential for long-term liver damage from COVID infection, leading to liver fibrosis and progressive liver damage and failure. In this study, researchers showed that liver damage was sustained for months after initial infection. (1)
Fibrosis of the lungs and cardiovascular system is also observed in post-COVID patients, demonstrating sustained damage to the cardiorespiratory system. The two most common complaints post infection include palpitations and chest pain. One study showed that 78% of post-COVID patients had cardiovascular alterations, and 60% of them still showed signs of persistent myocardial inflammation more than two months after diagnosis. (2)
Neuroinflammation is another key feature in long-term COVID, presenting as memory loss and cognitive decline, as well as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, mood issues, and other neurological symptoms. Researchers suggest that the sustained neuroinflammation leads to neurodegeneration and loss of blood-brain barrier integrity, leading to prolonged neurotoxicity. (2)
The Role of Galectin-3 in COVID Infection and Complications
One key biomarker, galectin-3, has been repeatedly demonstrated in the literature as a culprit biomarker and prognostic indicator in COVID complications. Because of its primary involvement in triggering and sustaining the inflammatory and fibrotic cascade, cytokine storm, and progressive organ damage, galectin-3 is increasingly studied for its role in predicting the severity and outcome of COVID. Importantly, galectin-3 is suggested a supportive therapeutic target in reducing complications. (3,4)
In addition, published data continues to emerge demonstrating near-identical structural similarities between the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein, and the carbohydrate recognition domain of galectin-3. This growing body of data suggests that galectin-3 blockade may serve as a promising adjunctive therapy and prophylactic against serious viral infection as well as long-term complication.
Extensive research outside of COVID demonstrates galectin-3 as a culprit in a broad spectrum of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, with data pointing to its role in cardiovascular and pulmonary fibrosis, heart failure, liver fibrosis and damage, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and immune dysregulation. It is increasingly recognized as a biomarker and therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease, as well as multiple types of cancer, autoimmune conditions, and other areas. (5,6)
As a master alarmin protein, galectin-3 is at the headwaters of the cytokine cascade and is upregulated during times of stress, injury, illness, infection, or other triggers, spurring the release of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines that drive the inflammatory immune response. Galectin-3 regulation of cytokines happens on several levels: Cytokine transcription and production; cytokine secretion; cytokine diffusion in the extracellular media; cytokine binding to its receptor and receptor mobility; and cytokine/receptor signaling. (7)
Most-Researched Galectin-3 Blocker Shows Promise in COVID
Recent studies on the involvement of galectin-3 in COVID suggest that blocking galectin-3 presents a promising therapeutic strategy in mitigating numerous features of COVID infection, severity, and long-term complication.
The researched form of Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) is recognized as the most-researched and only commercially available galectin-3 blocker, and has been identified as an important potential strategy for addressing COVID infection and long-term effects.
A research review published in J-Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal highlights the structural similarities between COVID spike protein and galectin-3, and lists MCP as an adjunctive therapy to bind, inhibit, and/or deactivate SARS-CoV-2 viral spike proteins. In doing so, modified citrus pectin offers the ability to support against cell entry, replication, and inflammatory damage within the cardiorespiratory system and other key organs such as the kidneys and liver.8,9
This form of MCP is also shown to decrease the expression of IL-6, IL-1β, IL-18, and TNF-α in an induced myocardial fibrosis and inflammation model.10 Other studies show it supports against pulmonary hypertension as well as liver damage, by blocking galectin-3. It is also shown to protect cognitive health and blood-brain barrier integrity, offering critical support for defense against neuroinflammation and degeneration. (11-13)
The blocking of galectin-3 is increasingly known to be of essential value in preventing sepsis and cytokine storms, as well as in chronic inflammatory conditions. With the new findings highlighting the structural similarities between galectin-3 and SARS-CoV-2, galectin-3 blockade becomes a critical strategy to help prevent both viral entry and replication, as well as uncontrolled inflammatory immune activity leading to the cytokine storm, organ damage, and significant disruption to multiple systems as seen in numerous aspects of long COVID.
Today, MCP is earning recognition world-wide as the most-researched galectin-3 blocker and the only proven galectin-3 solution available at this time. By inhibiting galectin-3 with related beneficial outcomes, MCP demonstrates multitargeted benefits resulting in robust clinical endpoints, as documented in laboratory data as well as extensive clinical observation. The potential ability of MCP to support against long COVID complications and sustained symptoms makes it an important adjunct in the management of this ongoing crisis.
Download the white paper on COVID and Galectin-3 by clicking here.
Sources:
COVID-19 Patients Show Liver Injury Months After Infection. Radiological Society of North America website. December 1, 2022. Accessed Dec 10, 2022.
Visco V, Vitale C, Rispoli A, et al. Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: Involvement and Interactions between Respiratory, Cardiovascular and Nervous Systems. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2022; 11(3):524.
Garcia-Revilla J, Deierborg T, Venero JL, Boza-Serrano A. Hyperinflammation and Fibrosis in Severe COVID-19 Patients: Galectin-3, a Target Molecule to Consider. Front Immunol. 2020 Aug 18;11:2069.
Karsli E, Anabarli Metin D, Canacik O, et al. Galectin-3 as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker for COVID-19 Disease: A Case-Control Study. Cureus. 2022 Sep 5;14(9):e28805.
Saccon F, Gatto M, Ghirardello A, et al. Role of galectin-3 in autoimmune and non-autoimmune nephropathies. Autoimmun Rev. 2017 Jan;16(1):34-47.
Hara A, Niwa M, Noguchi K, et al. Galectin-3 as a Next-Generation Biomarker for Detecting Early Stage of Various Diseases. Biomolecules. 2020 Mar 3;10(3):389.
Laura Díaz-Alvarez and Enrique Ortega. The Many Roles of Galectin-3, a Multifaceted Molecule, in Innate Immune Responses against Pathogens. Mediators of Inflammation. 2017(8):1-10.
Odun-Ayo F, Reddy L. Potential Roles of Modified Pectin Targeting Galectin-3 against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2. J. 2021;4. 824-837. 10.3390/j4040056.
Caniglia JL, Guda MR, Asuthkar S, et al. A potential role for Galectin-3 inhibitors in the treatment of COVID-19. PeerJ. 2020;8:e9392.
Xu, G. R., Zhang, C., Yang H. X., Sun J. H., et al. (2020) Modified citrus pectin ameliorates myocardial fibrosis and inflammation via suppressing galectin-3 and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. Biomed Pharmacother Mar 11; 126:110071.
Nishikawa H, Liu L, Nakano F, Kawakita F, et al. Modified Citrus Pectin Prevents Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in Mouse Subarachnoid Hemorrhage by Inhibiting Galectin-3. Stroke. 2018 Nov;49(11):2743-2751.
Yin Q, Chen J, Ma S, Dong C, et al. Pharmacological Inhibition of Galectin-3 Ameliorates Diabetes-Associated Cognitive Impairment, Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation in vivo and in vitro. J Inflamm Res. 2020 Sep 15;13:533-542.
Eliaz I, Raz A. Pleiotropic Effects of Modified Citrus Pectin. Nutrients. 2019 Nov 1;11(11):2619.
DISCLAIMER: This material is being provided to health care professionals and it is not intended to be used in marketing to consumers
]]>