LCN2 and Other metabolic disease: LCN2 also plays an important role in cell differentiation, apoptosis, cancer progression, and metastasis (108). Pathologic conditions such as inflammation and metabolic diseases can upregulate the expression of LCN2, and LCN2 can be found in the brain, heart, and skeletal muscle that do not express LCN2 under normal conditions (108, 113–115).