Association of urinary RBP4 with insulin resistance, inflammation, and microalbuminuria

Serum concentrations of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) are elevated in type 2 diabetes and associated with the severity of insulin resistance; however, there are few data about the relationship between urinary RBP4 levels and metabolic parameters. We assessed urinary RBP4 as a new biomarker by establishing its relationship with clinical parameters associated with insulin resistance and urinary albumin excretion.

We measured RBP4 in the serum and urine of 689 subjects with diverse glucose tolerance status. We also evaluated the relationship between urinary RBP4 and cardiometabolic risk factors, including insulin resistance, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), arterial stiffness, and microalbuminuria.

Urinary RBP4 levels were higher in insulin-resistant subjects with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes than in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (type 2 diabetes>prediabetes>NGT; all P<0.001). Urinary RBP4 correlated strongly with homeostasis model assessments of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), fasting glucose, triglycerides, blood pressure, hsCRP, arterial stiffness, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (all P<0.01). HOMA-IR and arterial stiffness were found to be independent determinants of urinary RBP4 concentration. Furthermore, urinary RBP4 was highly predictive of microalbuminuria (odds ratio 2.6, 95% CI 1.6-4.2), even after adjustment for other metabolic parameters. The area under the ROC curve for urinary RBP4 to detect the presence of microalbuminuria was 0.80±0.02 (95% CI 0.76-0.84) and the cut-off value was 157.01 μg/gCr.

Urinary RBP4 concentrations were elevated in patients with dysregulation of glucose metabolism and were related to various cardiometabolic risk factors including insulin resistance, inflammation, and microalbuminuria.