Retinol binding protein 4 correlates with and is an early predictor of carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

The association of retinol binding protein 4(RBP4) with atherosclerosis of the carotid artery in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) remains undefined.We aimed to investigate the correlation of RBP4 expression with atherosclerosis of the carotid artery in T2 DM.A total of 1,076 subjects were investigated for intima-media thickness of the bilateral common carotid arteries,and they were divided into three groups:in group Ⅰ,patients had normal neck vascular ultrasound,in group Ⅱ,intimal carotid artery media thickness was equal to or more than 1 mm,and in group Ⅲ,carotid artery plaque was present.Height,weight,blood pressure(BP),fasting plasma glucose(FPG),hemoglobin Alc(HbAlc),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),apolipoprotein A-l(apoA-1),apolipoprotein B(apoB) and lipoprotein(a)[Lp(a)]were determined by routine laboratory methods.RBP4 and high sensitivity C reactive protein(HsCRP) were measured by an enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay,and insulin concentration was measured by an electrochemiluminescence sandwich immunoassay.Duration of diabetes,waist and BP,FPG,HbAlc,TG,TC,LDL-C,APOB,Lp(a),HsCRP,RBP4 and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR) were significantly lower in group I than in the other two groups(P<0.01,P<0.01).Plasma levels of HbAlc,RBP4,LDL-C,TC,HOMA-IR,HsCRP and Lp(a),waist and BP were significantly increased in group Ⅲ than in group Ⅱ(F<0.01),Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that there were seven factors associated with the occurrence of carotid artery atherosclerosis and its risks in descending order were:high LDL-C,high waist,high HsCRP,duration of diabetes,high HOMA-IR,HbAlc and high RBP4.Our finding supported that RBP4 was positively correlated with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with T2 DM and could be used as an early predictor of cardiovascular disease.