The role of fatty acid binding proteins in metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis

Purpose of review The global prevalence of obesity is increasing epidemically. Obesity causes an array of health problems, reduces life expectancy, and costs over US$100 billion annually. More. than a quarter of the population suffers from an aggregation of co-morbidities, including obesity, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, dyslipidemias, coagulopathies, hypertension, and a pro-inflammatory state known as the metabolic syndrome. Patients,with metabolic syndrome have high risk of atherosclerosis as well as type 2 diabetes,and other health problems. Like obesity, atheroscierosis has very limited therapeutic options. Recent findings Fatty acid binding proteins integrate metabolic and immune responses and link the inflammatory and lipid-mediated pathways that are critical in the metabolic syndrome. This review will highlight, recent studies on fatty acid binding protein-deficient models and several fatty acid binding protein-mediated pathways specifically modified in macrophages, cells-that are paramount to the initiation and persistence of cardiovascular lesions. Summary Adipocyte/macrophage fatty acid binding proteins, aP2 and mall, act at the interface of metabolic and inflammatorypathways. These fatty, acid, binding proteins are involved in the formation of, atherosclerosis predominantly through the direct modification, of macrophage cholesterol trafficking and inflammatory responses. In addition to atherosclerosis, these fatty acid binding proteins also exert, a dramatic impact on obesity, insulin, resistance, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. The creation-of pharmacological agents to modify fatty acid binding-protein function will provide tissue or cell-type-specific control of these lipid signaling pathways, inflammatory,responses, atherosclerosis, and the other components of the metabolic syndrome, therefore offering a new class,of multi-indication therapeutic agents..