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

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging health & aging, 2022-06, Vol.26 (6), p.564-570
• Main Authors: Sanchez-Sánchez, Juan Luis, He, L., Virecoulon Giudici, K., Guyonnet, S., Parini, A., Dray, C., Valet, P., Pereira, O., Vellas, B., Rolland, Y., de Souto Barreto, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon; Aged; Aging; Alzheimer Disease; Alzheimer's disease; Apelin; Biomarkers; Clinical Trials as Topic; Endocrinology and metabolism; Female; Gait; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Geriatry and gerontology; Growth Differentiation Factor 15; Hand Strength; Human health and pathology; Humans; Life Sciences; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mobility; Motor ability; Muscle strength; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Older people; Original Research; Primary Care Medicine; Quality of Life Research; Sarcopenia; Sarcopenia - diagnosis; Sarcopenia - epidemiology; Tissues and Organs; Velocity
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-022-1800-1

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.