Mapping the causal associations of cytokines with sarcopenia and aging traits: Evidence from bidirectional Mendelian randomization
Authors: Liu Mingchong , Fu Xiao , Yu Daqian , Li Meng , Pan Yutao , Yang Chensong , Sun Guixin 
Published: April 2024

Background

Cytokines and growth factors may serve as a bridge in studying the causal relationships between inflammaging and sarcopenia due to their roles in inflammaging. In this study, we aim to explore the causal association of cytokines with sarcopenia and aging traits and further identify the significant inflammation factors.

Methods

Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was used to identify the causality. Forty‐one kinds of circulation cytokines and growth factors were set as exposures, and the data were from a summary genome‐wide association study (GWAS) containing three cohorts with 8293 healthy participants of European ancestry from 1983 to 2011. Hand grip strength, adjusted appendicular lean mass (AALM), usual walking pace, moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels, able to walk or cycle unaided for 10 min (AWCU10) and telomere length were selected as outcomes. Data for outcomes were obtained from meta‐GWAS and the UK Biobank, and sample sizes ranged from 69 537 to 472 174. Low hand grip strength was defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) cut‐off points, respectively. Other outcome traits were defined and measured according to the UK Biobank and raw cohorts' criteria. We set two significance thresholds for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with exposures to obtain adequate SNPs (5 × 10−6 and 5 × 10−8). Inverse‐variance weighted, MR‐Egger and weighted median were employed to estimate the causality.

Results

Twenty‐seven factors were identified to relate to sarcopenia and aging traits causally, and most were associated with only one outcome trait. IL16 (interleukin‐16), CTACK (cutaneous T‐cell attracting chemokine), MIP1b (macrophage inflammatory protein 1b) and PDGFbb (platelet‐derived growth factor BB) were proven to relate causally to at least one sarcopenia and aging trait in both analyses with two significance thresholds. IL16 was causally associated with hand grip strength (0.977 [0.956–0.998] for EWGSOP and 0.933 [0.874–0.996] for FNIH), AALM (0.991 [0.984, 0.998]), MVPA (0.997 [0.995–1.000]) and AWCU10 (1.008 [1.003–1.013]). CTACK was proven to relate causally to hand grip strength (1.013 [1.007–1.019] for EWGSOP and 1.090 [1.041–1.142] for FNIH), AWCU10 (0.990 [0.986–0.994]) and telomere length (0.998 [0.983–0.994]). The results indicated that MIP1b has a causal effect on hand grip strength (1.032 [1.001–1.063] for EWGSOP), AWCU10 (0.994 [0.988–1.000] and 0.993 [0.988–0.998]) and telomere length (1.006 [1.000–1.012]). PDGFbb may causally relate to AALM (1.016 [1.001–1.030]) and telomere length (1.011 [1.007–1.015]). Reserve MR analyses also proved their unidirectional causal effects.

Conclusions

Twenty‐seven factors were causally related to sarcopenia and aging traits, and the causal effects of IL16, CTACK, MIP1b and PDGFbb were proven in both analyses with two significance thresholds.