title: Circulating FABP4 is a marker of metabolic and cardiovascular risk in SLE patients.
abstract: The aim of this study is to determine if circulating fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) plasma levels are a possible marker of metabolic risk in SLE patients. Circulating levels of adipose FABP4 are associated with adiposity, insulin resistance (IR), metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Patients affected by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) show an accelerated atherosclerosis that cannot be entirely explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Sixty consecutive patients with SLE and 34 non-SLE age-matched controls were recruited for the study. Total plasma lipids and circulating FABP4 were determined. Subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated by measuring carotid intimae-media thickness (c-IMT) by sonography, and the distribution of lipoprotein subclasses was analysed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In the SLE group, FABP4 was associated with IR, atherogenic dyslipidaemia, as measured by NMR, and the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. In multivariate analyses FABP4 was associated with increased c-IMT independent of the inflammatory state of the patient. In sum, circulating FABP4 is involved in the metabolic disturbances of SLE affecting lipid metabolism and IR, and it could be a biomarker of atherosclerosis in this population.
authors.affiliation: 1Internal Medicine Department, "Sant Joan" University Hospital (Reus-Spain), Institut Investigació Sanitaria Pere Virgili (IISPV), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cabré
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marimon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferré
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ribalta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzàlez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heras
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Masana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C493410:FABP4 protein, human; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D008055:Lipids
keywords: Systemic lupus erythematosus; cardiovascular disease; changes; haematologic