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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Genet.
Sec. Applied Genetic Epidemiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1404215
This article is part of the Research Topic Women in Applied Genetic Epidemiology View all 6 articles

Phosphatidylcholine's Influence on Dysmenorrhea: Conclusive Insights from Mendelian Randomization Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Yuzheng Li Yuzheng Li 1Shiyao Zhou Shiyao Zhou 2Yuchen Huang Yuchen Huang 1Qiuhao Yu Qiuhao Yu 1Qibiao Wu Qibiao Wu 1,3,4,5*
  • 1 Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macao, SAR China
  • 2 Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau Region, China
  • 3 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong University of Technology, Panyu, Guangdong Province, China
  • 4 Zhuhai MUST Science and Technology Research Institute, Yokohai, Guangdong Province, China
  • 5 Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao, Macao, SAR China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study delves into the potential causal link between phosphatidylcholine (PC) levels and dysmenorrhea, utilizing genome-wide association study data and the TwoSampleMR approach. Our objective was to navigate beyond the confounding variables inherent in traditional observational research, aiming to furnish more dependable evidence of causality.Employing the method of Mendelian randomization, this study delved intothe purported causal relationships between serum lipid quantities and the incidence of menstrual discomfort.The analysis utilized single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) closely related to lipid metrics as the instruments. To verify the resilience of our conclusions across diverse statistical methodologies, we undertook a battery of sensitivity tests,including MR-Egger and inverse variance weighting, to scrutinize our data for possiblepleiotropy and heterogeneity. The data revealed a tentative positive correlation betweenhigher phosphatidylcholine (PC) levels and an increased likelihood of dysmenorrhea, indicated by an odds ratio of 1.533 (95% confidence interval: 1.039 -2.262, P = 0.031).This association posits a potential new biomarker for the development of treatment modalities for dysmenorrhea. In conclusion, the discovery that increased phosphatidylcholine levels correlate with a greater risk of experiencing dysmenorrhea not only aids in assessing the likelihood of dysmenorrhea onset but also in guiding its diagnosis and prevention. Furthermore, this insight directs future research towards elucidating the biological underpinnings of dysmenorrhea.

    Keywords: Phosphatidylcholine, Dysmenor r hea, Mendelian randomization(MR), Causal analysis, GWAS

    Received: 20 Mar 2024; Accepted: 28 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Zhou, Huang, Yu and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Qibiao Wu, Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macao, SAR China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.