FABP4 and metabolic syndrome: In human HCC samples from patients with metabolic syndrome, after being stimulated by glucose, insulin, VEGFA or hypoxia, the expression fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), a cytoplasmic fatty acid chaperone protein is upregulated in peritumoral endothelial cells, which promotes hepatoma cells proliferation and migration by upregulating cell cycle-associated pathways and angiogenesis gene expression (135).