Plasma tissue factor as a promising marker in multiple sclerosis: Evidence from a two-sample Mendelian randomization
Rui Pan1, Aiqi Wang2, Yaqi Li1
1School of Nursing, Huizhou Health Sciences Polytechnic, Huizhou, Guangdong, P. R. China.
Translational Neuroscience
|September 8, 2025
Summary
This study found that higher tissue factor (TF) levels are associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). TF may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for MS.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimmunology
- Hematology
- Genetics
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system demyelinating disease.
- The coagulation pathway is implicated in MS pathogenesis, but causal links remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal association between plasma coagulation factors and the risk of multiple sclerosis.
- To identify potential biomarkers for MS.
Main Methods:
- A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed.
- Genetic variants for plasma coagulation factors were used as instrumental variables.
- Summary statistics from a large genome-wide association study for MS were utilized.
Main Results:
- Elevated plasma tissue factor (TF) levels showed a causal association with an increased risk of MS onset (OR: 1.215, P < 0.001).
- Sensitivity analyses confirmed the association between TF and MS risk.
- No significant causal associations were found for other plasma coagulation factors with MS.
Conclusions:
- Tissue factor (TF) is suggestively associated with multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Increased plasma TF levels correlate with higher MS risk.
- TF presents a promising biomarker and potential therapeutic target for MS.
