Relationship between plasma level of fatty acid-binding protein and acute cerebral infarction

Objective To study the plasma level of adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) in patients with acute cerebral infarction and the related risk factors. Methods The levels of plasma fatty acid-binding protein were measured in 81 patients with acute cerebral infarction (CI group) and 20 healthy subjects(control group), and their relationship with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and other risk factors were analyzed. According to the number of risk factors that presented, the patients were divided into 4 groups: pure cerebral infarction (A), with one risk factor for cerebral infarction group (B), with two risk factors for cerebral infarction (C), and with 3 or more risk factors of cerebral infarction group (D). The relationship of A-FABP with related risk factors was analyzed. Results The fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, cholesterol, and high density lipoprotein were not significantly different between the cerebral infarction group and control group (P0.05); the age, sex composition, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, and A-FABP were significantly higher in the infarction group compared with those in the control group (P0.05 or P0.01). The plasma A-FABP levels in A, B, C, and D sub-groups were (15.99±1.72), (13.83±5.12), (25.04±3.10), and (34.84±7.15) ng/mL, respectively, with significant difference found between each of the two groups except for that between A group and B group. Conclusion The plasma A-FABP level is greatly higher in cerebral infarction patients compared with healthy controls, and the level of A-FABP increases with the increase of risk factors.