Circulating adiponectin levels and systemic lupus erythematosus: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Immunology
• Metabolic Diseases

Background:

• Elevated serum/plasma adiponectin levels have been reported in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
• The potential causal relationship between adiponectin and SLE remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal effects of circulating adiponectin levels on the risk of developing SLE.
• To explore the potential causal effect of SLE on circulating adiponectin levels.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.
• Employed nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with adiponectin as instrumental variables.
• Analyzed data from a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of SLE cases and controls of European ancestry.

Main Results:

• Inverse-variance weighted methods and MR-Egger regression showed no significant causal association between genetically predicted adiponectin levels and SLE risk.
• Weighted median and weighted mode methods also supported the lack of a significant causal relationship.
• Further MR analyses indicated no genetically predicted risk of SLE influencing circulating adiponectin levels.

Conclusions:

• This study found no evidence to support a causal relationship between circulating adiponectin levels and the risk of SLE.
• The findings also suggest no causal effect of SLE on circulating adiponectin levels.