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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
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Real-time Analyses of Retinol Transport by the Membrane Receptor of Plasma Retinol Binding Protein
Published on: January 28, 2013
Retinol-binding protein 4 in neonates born small for gestational age
C Giacomozzi1, P Ghirri, R Lapolla
1Molecular Endocrinology Unit, D.P.U.O. Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rina Balducci Center of Pediatric Endocrinology, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
Journal of Endocrinological Investigation
|May 27, 2010
Summary
Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels are lower in newborns small for gestational age (SGA). Birth weight, not insulin sensitivity, predicts RBP4 in these infants.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Metabolic Research
- Neonatal Studies
Background:
- Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), an adipocyte-derived signal, is implicated in insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes pathogenesis.
- Small for gestational age (SGA) newborns face increased risk for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
- RBP4's role as an early marker for insulin resistance in SGA children remains uninvestigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify RBP4 concentrations in cord blood of SGA newborns compared to appropriate for gestational age (AGA) newborns.
- To investigate the correlation between RBP4 levels at birth and markers of insulin sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- Study included 64 newborns: 17 SGA and 47 AGA.
- Measurements comprised anthropometry, lipid profile, insulin, homeostasis model assessment, quantitative insulin-sensitivity check index, adiponectin, and RBP4.
Main Results:
- RBP4 concentrations were significantly lower in SGA newborns (p<0.002).
- No correlation was observed between RBP4 and insulin sensitivity parameters.
- Birth weight was identified as the primary predictor of serum RBP4 concentrations (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- RBP4 is reduced in SGA newborns, with birth weight being the main determinant.
- RBP4 levels at birth do not correlate with insulin sensitivity in this cohort.
- No significant differences in adiponectin or insulin sensitivity markers were found between SGA and AGA neonates.
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