Elevated RBP4 plasma levels were associated with diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes

The retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) has been postulated to play a role in glucose homeostasis, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus in human and animal studies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of RBP4 in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without diabetic retinopathy (DR). Plasma RBP4 concentrations were tested in 287 patients with type 2 diabetes. At baseline, demographic and clinical information including presence of DR and vision-threatening DR (VTDR) was collected. The relationship between RBP4 and DR (VTDR) was investigated using logistic regression. Patients with DR or VTDR had significantly higher plasma levels of RBP4 on admission ( P <0.0001). Receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) to predict DR and VDTR demonstrated areas under the curve for RBP4 of 0.79 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73-0.85) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85-0.94), respectively, which were superior to other factors. For each 1 μg/ml increase in plasma level of RBP4, the unadjusted and adjusted risk of DR would be increased by 8% (with the odds ratio (OR) of 1.08 (95% CI: 1.05-1.13), P <0.001) and 5% (1.05 (1.02-1.11), P =0.001), respectively. It was 12% (with the OR of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.07-1.18), P <0.001) and 9% (1.09 (1.05-1.15), P <0.001) for VTDR. The present study shows that elevated plasma levels of RBP4 were associated with DR and VDTR in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting a possible role of RBP4 in the pathogenesis of DR complications. Lowering RBP4 could be a new strategy for treating type 2 diabetes with DR.