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Circulating Levels of Apelin, GDF-15 and Sarcopenia: Lack of Association in the MAPT Study

  • Original Research
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The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

Apelin and GDF-15 have been proposed as biomarkers of age-related sarcopenia but evidence in human models is scarce. This study aimed to explore the associations between blood apelin and GDF-15 with sarcopenia incidence and the evolution of sarcopenia components over two years in older adults >70 years.

Design

Secondary longitudinal analysis of the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial.

Participants

Older adults (>70 years) attending primary care centers in France and Monaco. Setting. Community.

Measurements

Serum Apelin (pg/mL) and plasma GDF-15 (pg/mL) were measured. Outcomes included sarcopenia defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and its determinants (appendicular lean mass [ALM] evaluated through a Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan, handgrip strength (HGS) and the 4-meter gait speed) measured over 2 years. Linear mixed models and logistic regression were used to explore the longitudinal associations.

Results

We included 168 subjects from MAPT (median age=76y, IQR=73–79; 78% women). Serum apelin was not significantly associated with sarcopenia incidence (OR=1.001;95%CI=1.000,1.001;p-value>0.05 in full-adjusted models) nor with ALM (β=−5.8E-05;95%CI=−1.0E-04,2.12E-04;p>0.05), HGS (β=−1.1E-04;95%CI=−5.0E-04,2.8E-04;p>0.05), and GS (β=−5.1E-06;95%CI=−1.0E-05,2.0E-05;p>0.05) in fully adjusted models. Similarly, plasma GDF-15 was not associated with both the incidence of sarcopenia (OR=1.001,95%CI=1.000,1.002,p>0.05) and the evolution of its determinants ([ALM, β=2.1E-05;95%CI=−2.6E-04,3.03E-04;p>0.05], HGS [β=−5.9E-04;95%CI=−1.26E-03,8.1E-05; p>0.05] nor GS [β=−2.6E-06;95%CI=−3.0E-05, 2.3E-05;p>0.05]) in fully adjusted models.

Conclusions

Blood apelin and GDF-15 were not associated with sarcopenia incidence or with the evolution of sarcopenia components over a 2-year follow-up in community-dwelling older adults. Well-powered longitudinal studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings.

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Acknowledgements

MAPT Study Group: Principal investigator: Bruno Vellas (Toulouse); Coordination: Sophie Guyonnet; Project leader: Isabelle Carrié; CRA: Lauréane Brigitte; Investigators: Catherine Faisant, Françoise Lala, Julien Delrieu, Hélène Villars; Psychologists: Emeline Combrouze, Carole Badufle, Audrey Zueras; Methodology, statistical analysis and data management: Sandrine Andrieu, Christelle Cantet, Christophe Morin; Multidomain group: Gabor Abellan Van Kan, Charlotte Dupuy, Yves Rolland (physical and nutritional components), Céline Caillaud, Pierre-Jean Ousset (cognitive component), Françoise Lala (preventive consultation). The cognitive component was designed in collaboration with Sherry Willis from the University of Seattle, and Sylvie Belleville, Brigitte Gilbert and Francine Fontaine from the University of Montreal. Co-Investigators in associated centres: Jean-François Dartigues, Isabelle Marcet, Fleur Delva, Alexandra Foubert, Sandrine Cerda (Bordeaux); Marie-Noëlle-Cuffi. Corinne Costes (Castres); Olivier Rouaud, Patrick Manckoundia, Valérie Quipourt, Sophie Marilier, Evelyne Franon (Dijon); Lawrence Bories, Marie-Laure Pader, Marie-France Basset, Bruno Lapoujade, Valérie Faure, Michael Li Yung Tong, Christine Malick-Loiseau, Evelyne Cazaban-Campistron (Foix); Françoise Desclaux, Colette Blatge (Lavaur); Thierry Dantoine, Cécile Laubarie-Mouret, Isabelle Saulnier, Jean-Pierre Clément, Marie-Agnès Picat, Laurence Bernard-Bourzeix, Stéphanie Willebois, Iléana Désormais, Noëlle Cardinaud (Limoges); Marc Bonnefoy, Pierre Livet, Pascale Rebaudet, Claire Gédéon, Catherine Burdet, Flavien Terracol (Lyon), Alain Pesce, Stéphanie Roth, Sylvie Chaillou, Sandrine Louchart (Monaco); Kristel Sudres, Nicolas Lebrun, Nadège Barro-Belaygues (Montauban); Jacques Touchon, Karim Bennys, Audrey Gabelle, Aurélia Romano, Lynda Touati, Cécilia Marelli, Cécile Pays (Montpellier); Philippe Robert, Franck Le Duff, Claire Gervais, Sébastien Gonfrier (Nice); Yannick Gasnier and Serge Bordes, Danièle Begorre, Christian Carpuat, Khaled Khales, Jean-François Lefebvre, Samira Misbah El Idrissi, Pierre Skolil, Jean-Pierre Salles (Tarbes). MRI group: Carole Dufouil (Bordeaux), Stéphane Lehéricy, Marie Chupin, Jean-François Mangin, Ali Bouhayia (Paris); Michèle Allard (Bordeaux); Frédéric Ricolfi (Dijon); Dominique Dubois (Foix); Marie Paule Bonceour Martel (Limoges); François Cotton (Lyon); Alain Bonafé (Montpellier); Stéphane Chanalet (Nice); Françoise Hugon (Tarbes); Fabrice Bonneville, Christophe Cognard, François Chollet (Toulouse). PET scans group: Pierre Payoux, Thierry Voisin, Julien Delrieu, Sophie Peiffer, Anne Hitzel, (Toulouse); Michèle Allard (Bordeaux); Michel Zanca (Montpellier); Jacques Monteil (Limoges); Jacques Darcourt (Nice). Medico-economics group: Laurent Molinier, Hélène Derumeaux, Nadège Costa (Toulouse). Biological sample collection: Bertrand Perret, Claire Vinel, Sylvie Caspar-Bauguil (Toulouse). Safety management: Pascale Olivier-Abbal. DSA Group: Sandrine Andrieu, Christelle Cantet, Nicola Coley

Funding

Funding: The present work was performed in the context of the Inspire Program, a research platform supported by grants from the Region Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée (Reference number: 1901175) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (Project number: MP0022856), and received additional funds from Alzheimer Prevention in Occitania and Catalonia (APOC Chair of Excellence — Inspire Program). The MAPT study was supported by grants from the Gérontopôle of Toulouse, the French Ministry of Health (PHRC 2008, 2009), Pierre Fabre Research Institute (manufacturer of the omega-3 supplement), ExonHit Therapeutics SA, and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc. The promotion of this study was supported by the University Hospital Center of Toulouse. The data sharing activity was supported by the Association Monegasque pour la Recherche sur la maladie d’Alzheimer (AMPA) and the INSERM-University of Toulouse III UMR 1295 Unit.

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  1. Both authors contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gérontopôle de Toulouse, Institut du Vieillissement, Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire de Toulouse, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000, Toulouse, France

    Juan Luis Sanchez-Sánchez, L. He, K. Virecoulon Giudici, S. Guyonnet, B. Vellas, Y. Rolland & P. de Souto Barreto

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Public University of Navarra, Av. De Barañain s/n, 31008, Pamplona, Spain

    Juan Luis Sanchez-Sánchez

  3. MOVE-IT Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain

    Juan Luis Sanchez-Sánchez

  4. School of Public Health, Xiamen University, 422 Siming S Rd, 361005, Xiamen, China

    L. He

  5. CERPOP, Inserm 1295, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France

    S. Guyonnet, B. Vellas, Y. Rolland & P. de Souto Barreto

  6. Institut des Maladies Métaboliques et Cardiovasculaires, Inserm/Université Paul Sabatier UMR 1048–I2MC 1, Toulouse, France

    A. Parini

  7. Institut RESTORE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS U-5070, EFS, ENVT, INSERM U1301, Université Paul Sabatier, 4bis Ave Hubert Curien, 31100, Toulouse, France

    C. Dray, P. Valet & O. Pereira

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  1. Juan Luis Sanchez-Sánchez
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  2. L. He
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MAPT/DSA Group

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Correspondence to Juan Luis Sanchez-Sánchez.

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Conflict of interests: All authors declare the absence of conflicts of interest.

Ethical standards: Our study complies with the ethical standard laid in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Sanchez-Sánchez, J.L., He, L., Virecoulon Giudici, K. et al. Circulating Levels of Apelin, GDF-15 and Sarcopenia: Lack of Association in the MAPT Study. J Nutr Health Aging 26, 564–570 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-022-1800-1

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