Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasingly serious health problem, which is characterized by progressive and irreversible loss of renal function. With the decline of renal function, CKD patients will eventually develop into serious electrolyte metabolism disorder, systemic diseases, which can be life-threatening. In recent years, as a chimeric type of β-galactoside binding protein, galectin-3 (Gal-3) has attracted much attention. It has been found that Gal-3 is involved in the regulation of immune system, inflammatory response, tissue fibrosis and other physiological and pathological processes, and Gal-3 becomes particularly valuable in the study of CKD, such as diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy and chronic glomerulonephritis. Even some scholars think that Gal-3 may become a biological marker for judging the prognosis of CKD and a potential new therapeutic target.