Protein/carbohydrate interactions through specific protein families termed lectin control essential biological processes.Galectins,a family of animal lectins defined by shared amino acid sequence with affinity for β-galactosides,appear to be functionally polyvalent in a wide range of biological activity.Recent studies have identified immunoregulatory roles of galectins in intestinal inflammatory disorders.Galectin-1 and galectin-2 contribute to the suppression of intestinal inflammation by the induction of apoptosis of activated T cells,whereas galectin-4 is involved in the exacerbation of this inflammation by specifically stimulating intesUnal CD4+ T cells to produce IL-6.We review how different members of the galectins provide inhibitory or stimulatory signals to control intestinal immune response under intestinal infiammation.(C)2008 The WJG Press.All rights reserved.