The metabolic role of retinol binding protein 4: An update

Abstract

Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP is regarded as a novel cardiometabolic risk factor, which is secreted mainly by the hepatocytes and also by the adipose tissue. RBPhas been shown to induce insulin resistance, and plasma RBPvalues are increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, it has been found that circulating RBPdecreases during medical interventions that result in amelioration of the metabolic profile, such as diet, exercise, oral antidiabetic drugs, and hypolipidemic agents. However, only few of the RBPrelated studies have investigated whether RBPconstitutes a causal factor of the above-mentioned metabolic conditions. Importantly, circulating RBPis influenced by some nonmetabolic conditions, such as renal failure, acute illness, injury, and liver failure. Thus, further studies investigating the metabolic roles of RBPshould be carefully planned, taking into account the effects of nonmetabolic conditions on circulating RBP © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.