The pandemic brought on by the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) has become a global health crisis, with over 22 million confirmed cases and 777,000 fatalities due to
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported worldwide. The major cause of fatality in infected patients, now referred to as the "
Cytokine Storm Syndrome" (CSS), is a direct result of aberrant immune activation following SARS-CoV2
infection and results in excess release of inflammatory
cytokines, such as
interleukin (IL)-1,
tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and
IL-6, by macrophages, monocytes, and dendritic cells. Single cell analysis has also shown significantly elevated levels of
galectin 3 (Gal-3) in macrophages, monocytes, and dendritic cells in patients with severe
COVID-19 as compared to mild disease. Inhibition of Gal-3 reduces the release of
IL-1,
IL-6, and TNF-α from macrophages in vitro, and as such may hold promise in reducing the incidence of CSS. In addition, Gal-3 inhibition shows promise in reducing
transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) mediated
pulmonary fibrosis, likely to be a major consequence in survivors of severe
COVID-19. Finally, a key domain in the spike
protein of SARS-CoV2 has been shown to bind
N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), a process that may be essential to cell entry by the virus. This Neu5Ac-binding domain shares striking morphological, sequence, and functional similarities with human Gal-3. Here we provide an updated review of the literature linking Gal-3 to
COVID-19 pathogenesis. Dually targeting
galectins and the Neu5Ac-binding domain of SARS-CoV2 shows tentative promise in several stages of the disease: preventing viral entry, modulating the host immune response, and reducing the post-infectious incidence of
pulmonary fibrosis.