Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein in a Caucasian population

a new marker of metabolic syndrome?

Stejskal, D.
Karpisek, M.

^*Sternberk Hospital, Sternberk, Czech Republic
^†University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic

Correspondence to: David Stejskal, MD, PhD, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sternberk Hospital, Jivavska 20, 78516 Sternberk, Czech Republic. Tel.: +42 0585087308; fax: +42 0585087131; e-mail: [email protected]

Sternberk Hospital, Sternberk (D. Stejskal), University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno (M. Karpisek), Czech Republic.

Received 22 February 2006; accepted 13 June 2006

European Journal of Clinical Investigation 36(9):p 621-625, September 2006.

Background

Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) has been suggested as playing an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum A-FABP as a marker of metabolic syndrome and to assess its predictive accuracy in a Caucasian population.

Materials and methods

Anthropometric and serum analyses were performed for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, A-FABP, insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), uric acid, and glucose on 67 non-obese, healthy subjects and 71 subjects with metabolic syndrome. Quicki-quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-curve) and χ² analysis were completed.

Results

Compared with healthy controls, subjects with metabolic syndrome had a significantly higher A-FABP serum level (mean: 42·4 vs. 23·7 μg L⁻¹; P < 0·01). The A-FABP serum level correlated with fasting levels of insulin (r = 0·34; P < 0·01), glucose (r = 0·21; P = 0·01), triglycerides (r = 0·4; P < 0·01), BMI (r = 0·57; P < 0·01) and waist circumference (r = 0·51; P < 0·01), but negatively with HDL-c (r = –0·23; P < 0·01) and Quicki (r = –0·32; P < 0·01). The relationship was defined between serum A-FABP level and metabolic syndrome diagnosis with 40% sensitivity and 99% specificity at A-FABP level 16·4 μg L⁻¹.

Conclusions

Serum A-FABP level might be an independent marker of metabolic syndrome in a Caucasian population.