Abstract
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is characterized by airway inflammation and increases the likelihood of the development of atherosclerosis. Recent studies have indicated that FABP4 (fatty-acid-binding protein 4), an intracellular lipid chaperone of low molecular mass, plays an important role in the regulation of inflammation and atherosclerosis. We carried out a preliminary clinical study aiming at investigating the relationships between circulating FABP4 levels in patients with COPD and inflammation and lung function. We enrolled 50 COPD patients and 39 healthy controls in the study. Lung function tests were performed in all subjects. Plasma levels of FABP4 and adiponectin, TNFα (tumour necrosis factor α) and CRP (C-reactive protein) were measured. The correlations between FABP4 and lung function, adipokine (adiponectin), inflammatory factors and BMI (body mass index) were analysed. Compared with both males with COPD and healthy females, plasma FABP4 levels in females with COPD were significantly increased. Adiponectin and CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with COPD. Furthermore, we found that FABP4 levels were inversely correlated with FEV1% predicted (FEV1 is forced expiratory volume in 1s) and positively correlated with adiponectin and TNFα in COPD patients. In addition, a positive correlation between plasma FABP4 and CRP was found in females with COPD. However, FABP4 levels were not correlated with BMI. Our results underline a gender difference in FABP4 secretion in stable COPD patients. Further studies are warranted to clarify the exact role of FABP4in the pathogenesis of COPD.
Highlights
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent and usually progressive airflow limitation [1]
Plasma levels of FABP4, adiponectin and inflammatory biomarkers Compared with healthy subjects, no significant differences were found in the levels of FABP4 in the COPD patients
When subjects were stratified for gender, FABP4 levels in COPD group were significantly higher than those in control group for females (P = 0.020) and no significance was found for males (P = 0.515) (Figure 1)
Summary
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is characterized by persistent and usually progressive airflow limitation [1]. Amplifying inflammatory reactions to noxious stimuli is recognized as an important pathogenesis of COPD, which involve numerous inflammatory factors and various immune cells [3,4]. According to the present-day view, systemic inflammation is the key between pulmonary disease and the systemic co-morbidities [5]. FABP4 is produced in adipocytes, macrophages and endothelial cells [8,9]. Numerous studies have elucidated the roles of FABP4 in body-weight control, glucose and lipid metabolism, β-cell function and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis [9,10,11]. Recent studies suggest that FABP4 is involved in the regulation of macrophages and airway inflammation [12,13,14].
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