A study on the role of serum Retinol Binding Protein 4 in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective To evaluate the role of serum retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) .Methods 62 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD group) and 60 normal subjects (normal control group) were selected.The level of serum RBP4 was measured by ELISA.Fasting blood glucose (FBG) , blood lipid (TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C) , liver function (AST, ALT) , and fasting insulin (FINS) were measured.Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated as well.Results The levels of RBP4, FBG, TC, TG, LDL-C, FINS, ALT, AST and HOMA-IR were higher in NAFLD patients as compared to normal controls (P<0.01) .The levels of Serum RBP4 were positively correlated with FBG, TC, TG, FINS and HOMA-IR (r=0.329, 0.298, 0.261, 0.219, 0.378, P<0.01) .Conclusion RBP4 was involved in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.Thus, RBP4 may be used as a sensitive indicator for the pathogenesis and the development of NAFLD, which can assist in early diagnosis of the disease.