Circulating selectins as potential biomarkers for sarcopenia: a case-control study

This study investigates the association between circulating E-selectin, L-selectin, and P-selectin levels and sarcopenia in older adults.

We conducted a case-control study of 325 older adults (261 controls, 64 sarcopenia cases). Sarcopenia was diagnosed using Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019. Serum selectin concentrations were measured by ELISA. Diagnostic utility was assessed via ROC curve analysis, and associations were examined using logistic regression models.

Serum P-selectin was significantly elevated in sarcopenic participants compared to controls (19.76 ± 10.07 vs. 13.12 ± 7.39 ng/mL, p < 0.001), whereas E-selectin and L-selectin levels were comparable between groups. P-selectin demonstrated discriminative capacity for sarcopenia (AUROC = 0.693) with an optimal cutoff of 17.28 ng/mL. Participants with high P-selectin (>17.28 ng/mL) exhibited increased odds of sarcopenia (multivariate OR = 4.20, 95% CI: 1.82-9.69, p < 0.001), low appendicular muscle mass (OR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.44-3.73, p = 0.001), and low handgrip strength (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.02-2.63, p = 0.043).

Circulating P-selectin represents a novel, independent biomarker for sarcopenia, reflecting endothelial activation and inflammatory pathways underlying muscle wasting.