Serum adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein is associated with impaired endothelial function in nondialysis chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVES

Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) has been implicated in atherosclerosis, and endothelial dysfunction is a critical contributor to cardiovascular outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study evaluated links between serum A-FABP and endothelial function among patients with CKD who were not on dialysis.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Fasting serum from 151 adults with CKD not on dialysis was analyzed for A-FABP using enzyme immunoassay. Endothelial function was measured noninvasively through digital thermal monitoring (DTM), yielding vascular reactivity index (VRI) scores categorized as poor (<1.0), intermediate (1.0-1.99), or good (≥2.0) vascular reactivity.

RESULTS

Vascular reactivity categorized by DTM-derived VRI was poor in 17.9% (n = 27), intermediate in 30.5% (n = 46), and good in 51.6% (n = 78). Poor reactivity correlated with older age (P = 0.013), higher blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.007), creatinine (P = 0.009), urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio, P = 0.010, higher serum A-FABP (P < 0.001), and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, P = 0.007. In adjusted multivariable linear models, age (P = 0.044), log-transformed (log-glucose, P = 0.045), and serum A-FABP (P < 0.001) were negatively associated with VRI.

CONCLUSION

Higher serum A-FABP independently correlated with reduced VRI, consistent with a potential modulatory role and supporting its use as a biomarker of endothelial dysfunction in nondialysis CKD patients.