Clinical Utility of Serum Adipocyte Fatty Acid Binding Protein (A-FABP) in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Complicated with Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Abstract Objective The adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) has been described as a biomarker for adiposity and obesity-related disease. The aim of this study was to assess the association between fasting serum A-FABP level and the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among type 2 DM patients. Methods Fasting blood samples were obtained from 60 type 2 diabetic patients for assessment of serum A-FABP level (30 subjects without MetS and 30 subjects with MetS) compared to 30 healthy control subjects recruited from Endocrinology Department, Ain Shams University Hospitals. A-FABP protein was assayed using ELISA technique, MetS component (waist circumference, fasting serum glucose, triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and blood pressure), as well as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and highly sensitive C-reactive protein ( hsCRP) were assayed for all subjects. Results Diabetic persons who had MetS had significantly higher serum A-FABP levels than either without MetS or healthy controls [Median (25-75 percentiles): 10.5(8.25-14.25); 3.4(0.20-6.00) and 1.5(0.78-2.63) respectively ; p < 0.01). However (HOMA-IR) and hsCRP did not show significant difference between diabetic patients with MetS versus diabetic patients without MetS (p > 0.05). Conclusions Our results indicate that serum A-FABP level is an early marker for the development of MetS in type 2 DM patients, thus its assessment could be beneficial in diagnosis of MetS.