Liver Function Critically Determines Serum Retinol-Binding Protein 4 (RBP4) Levels in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis

摘要

To the Editor:We read with great interest the recent work by Petta et al. suggesting serum levels of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) as a marker for the degree of steatosis in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). RBP4 has provoked exceptional attention because it has been linked to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in mice and humans. Petta et al. now reported an association between elevated serum RBP4 and hepatic steatosis as well as insulin resistance in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and serum RBP4 appeared to be a strong independent predictor of hepatic steatosis in nondiabetic, nonobese patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 1.