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Updated: Mar 22, 2026
Cell-Free DNA Integrity Analysis in Urine Samples
Published on: January 5, 2017
Blood and urine cell-free circulating DNA in older adults with sarcopenia: a hypothesis-generating study
Yasuko Yoshida1, Takashi Shida2, Masato Yonamine3
1Faculty of Medical Technology, Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Medical and Life Sciences, 265-1 Higashizima, Akiha-Ku, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan. yyoshida@nupals.ac.jp.
Purpose:
This preliminary study evaluated effect sizes of differences in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels in blood and urine between older adults with and without sarcopenia.
Methods:
This was a subanalysis of the 2021 Itabashi Longitudinal Study on Aging. Twenty-four participants were selected conveniently and classified using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria (sarcopenia, N = 12; non-sarcopenia, N = 10). Plasma and urinary cfDNA were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).
Results:
cfDNA measures showed substantial inter-individual variability, and no clear between-group differences were observed. Plasma cfDNA demonstrated a moderate positive correlation with skeletal muscle mass index (r = 0.43, p = 0.03), but the clinical relevance remains uncertain given the small sample size.
Conclusions:
Larger, well-powered longitudinal studies are needed to clarify whether cfDNA, including mitochondrial and nuclear components, can serve as a biomarker of muscle health and sarcopenia risk in older adults.
