Vascular Endothelial Galectins in Leukocyte Trafficking

Leukocyte recruitment to the site of injury is a crucial event in the regulation of an inflammatory response. Tight regulation of interactions between the endothelium and circulating leukocytes is necessary to ensure a protective response to injury does not result in inflammatory disease. Rising interest in the broad immunoregulatory roles displayed by members of the glycan-binding galectin family suggests that these proteins could be an attractive target for therapeutic intervention, since their expression is significantly altered in disease. The focus of this review is to summarize current knowledge on the role of galectins in leukocyte trafficking during inflammation and the clinical approaches being taken to target these interactions for treatment of inflammatory disease.

Automated summary

Leukocyte recruitment to the injury site is crucial for regulating inflammatory responses, and research on the immunoregulatory roles of galectin family members suggests that they could be a promising target for therapeutic intervention in inflammatory diseases. This review focuses on summarizing the current understanding of galectins in leukocyte trafficking during inflammation and the clinical approaches being developed to target these interactions for treating inflammatory diseases.