• E Roma, M Krini, E Hantzi, S Sakka, I Panayiotou, A Margeli, I Papassotiriou, and C Kanaka-Gantenbein.
• First Department of Pediatrics, Athens University Medical School, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
• Hippokratia. 2012 Oct 1; 16 (4): 360365360-5.

ObjectivesRetinol Binding Protein-4 (RBP-4), the action of which was initially thought to be only the transport of vitamin A, is a major circulating adipocytokine involved in the inflammation. We evaluated the serum RBP-4 levels in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and correlated them with transthyretin (TTR), inflammation markers, disease activity, and body mass index (BMI).DesignIn 41 children of mean age 11.9 ± 3.6 years (range 5-17.7 y) with IBD (19 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 22 with Ulcerative colitis (UC) serum RBP-4, TTR, Amyloid A (SAA), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), disease activity and BMI were prospectively determined and compared with those of 42 matched controls.ResultsNo difference in the RBP-4 and TTR serum levels, between patients and controls as well as between active and remission state of the disease was noticed. A negative correlation of serum RBP-4 with the disease activity, SAA and ESR and a positive correlation with TTR was found, but no significant correlation with CRP or BMI was found. Inflammation markers were significantly increased in patients compared to controls and had a positive correlation with the disease activity.ConclusionsRBP-4 negatively correlated with disease activity of children with IBD probably indicating a protective anti-inflammatory mechanism of action in addition to transport of vitamin A.

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