Is the Retinol-Binding Protein 4 a Possible Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Diseases in Obesity?

Anna Maria Rychter,Marzena Skrzypczak-Zielińska,Iwona Krela-Kaźmierczak,Alicja Ewa Ratajczak,Aleksandra Zielińska,Eliana B Souto,Piotr Eder,Agnieszka Zawada,Agnieszka Dobrowolska

doi:10.3390/ijms21155229

Abstract

Although many preventive and treatment approaches have been proposed, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. Current epidemiological data require the specification of new causative factors, as well as the development of improved diagnostic tools to provide better cardiovascular management. Excessive accumulation of adipose tissue among patients suffering from obesity not only constitutes one of the main risk factors of CVD development but also alters adipokines. Increased attention is devoted to bioactive adipokines, which are also produced by the adipose tissue. The retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) has been associated with numerous CVDs and is presumably associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. With this in mind, exploring the role of RBP4, particularly among patients with obesity, could be a promising direction and could lead to better CVD prevention and management in this patient group. In our review, we summarized the current knowledge about RBP4 and its association with essential aspects of cardiovascular disease—lipid profile, intima-media thickness, atherosclerotic process, and diet. We also discussed the RBP4 gene polymorphisms essential from a cardiovascular perspective.

Highlights

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes the most common cause of death in European countries, accounting for 2.2 million deaths in females (47% of all-cause of deaths) and 1.9 million deaths in males (39% of all-cause of deaths) [1,2,3,4]
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Retinol-binding protein 4 is one of the adipokines potentially associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, among patients with obesity

Summary

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes the most common cause of death in European countries, accounting for 2.2 million deaths in females (47% of all-cause of deaths) and 1.9 million deaths in males (39% of all-cause of deaths) [1,2,3,4] It is responsible for 37% and 34% of all years lost (measured by potential years of life lost, PYLL) among females and males, respectively [1]. Among patients with obesity, the secretion of adipokines is frequently abnormal [24]. In this non-systematic review, we have characterized one of the novel adipokines—retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), with a particular emphasis on its role in obesity and CVD development.

Role and Structure of RBP4

RBP4 and Lipid Metabolism

RBP4 and Intima-Media Thickness

Findings

10. Conclusions