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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cytokines and Soluble Mediators in Immunity
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1484840

Circulating levels of cytokines and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a Mendelian randomization study

Provisionally accepted
Huang Yongxiao Huang Yongxiao 1Yang Yi Yang Yi 2Li fangyao Li fangyao 1*Ma xianli Ma xianli 1*
  • 1 Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
  • 2 Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China

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

    Background: Previous studies have reported an association between circulating cytokines and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF).However, it was impossible to determine whether there was a causal link between cytokines and GDM. To estimate the association between circulating cytokine levels and GDM risk, a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed.The summary statistics for GDM are from the FinnGen consortium and include 9,837 cases and 152,785 controls. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of 8,293 Finnish individuals provided genetic instrumental variables for 41 cytokines.The primary analytical method used for MR was the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, and sensitivity and pleiotropy analyses were used to check the reliability of the results. We also performed reverse MR analysis to assess the possibility of reverse causality between GDM and significant cytokines. Finally, we constructed PPI network maps of the identified cytokine IVs by gene mapping with FUMA GWAS. We also performed GO and KEGG enrichment analyses to enhance our comprehension of the biological function of circulating cytokines in GDM development.Our results suggest that genetically predicted increased levels of Interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), Monocyte-chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and MIF are associated with greater risk of GDM [

    Keywords: Cytokines, gestational diabetes mellitus, Mendelian randomization, causality, biological function

    Received: 22 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yongxiao, Yi, fangyao and xianli. 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:
    Li fangyao, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
    Ma xianli, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China

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