Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for inhibiting, preventing, ameliorating, reducing, or treating cardiovascular diseases, for example, stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and/or diseases associated with fibrin activity or dysfunction. These methods and compositions involve antibodies that can bind to Galectin-3 and inhibit, prevent, ameliorate, reduce, or treat the cardiovascular diseases in a patient by reducing inflammation and/or inhibiting oligomerization of proteins associated with pathology such as amyloid beta or fibrin.