RBP4—a risk factor in lipid metabolism—serves as an early diagnostic and prognostic marker of knee osteoarthritis progression
Authors' conclusion
Serum RBP4 is a lipid metabolism-related biomarker that correlates with KOA severity and exhibits strong early-stage diagnostic performance.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with primary knee OA and age-matched healthy controls, First People’s Hospital of Hefei, December 2024 to February 2025
- Participants
- 160 patients
- Comparison
- Primary Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) vs age-matched healthy controls
- Early-stage KOAn = 40
- Late-stage KOAn = 40
- Healthy controlsn = 80reference
- Outcome
- Serum RBP4 as a biomarker for early joint damage and its predictive value for onset and progression of KOA
Methodological detailsage-matched healthy controls, single-centre, Serum RBP4, C-reactive protein (CRP), Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and MMP-3 by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) by Infrared ESR Analyzer; early diagnostic model developed and evaluated
- Age-matched healthy controls
- Single-centre
- Serum RBP4, CRP, COMP and MMP-3 by sandwich ELISA; ESR by Infrared ESR Analyzer; early diagnostic model developed and evaluated
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Diagnostic performance of serum RBP4
AUC of RBP4 for diagnosis of KOA
0.878
AUC of RBP4 for differentiating controls and early-stage KOA
0.832
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Correlates of serum RBP4
- Positive correlation with symptom duration, age, Body Mass Index (BMI), VAS pain, Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grade, MRI grade, CRP, COMP and MMP-3; negative correlation with HSS knee score
Original publication
RBP4—a risk factor in lipid metabolism—serves as an early diagnostic and prognostic marker of knee osteoarthritis progression. Arthritis Res Ther. Published 6 April 2026. doi:10.
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