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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Metabolomics
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1426575

Plasma metabolites as potential markers and targets for the prevention and treatment of Urolithiasis: a Mendelian randomization study Author names and affiliations

Provisionally accepted
Wuhui Zhu Wuhui Zhu Huan Li Huan Li Ming Zhang Ming Zhang Bing Ji Bing Ji Zongtao Liu Zongtao Liu *
  • Qingdao University, Qingdao, China

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

    Background: Studies of the relationship between urinary system diseases and the human plasma proteome have identified several potential biomarkers. However, no studies have elucidated the causal relationship between plasma proteins and Urolithiasis. Objective: To investigate the potential risk of plasma metabolites for Urolithiasis using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods: A total of 1400 metabolites were identified in the most comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) of plasma metabolomics in a European population to date, and we used SNPS for plasma metabolites as instrumental variables. In addition, the European GWAS data for urinary calculi included 482123 case samples and 6223 control samples (ebi-a-GCST90018935) as outcomes. The association between plasma metabolites and Urolithiasis risk was evaluated by inverse variance weighting (IVW), supplemented by sensitivity analysis of MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO tests. Results: For the first time, we found a causal relationship between two plasma metabolites (P < 1.03×10 -4 ) and Urolithiasis (P<0.05). 4-hydroxychlorothalonil, an intermediate product of pesticide hydroxychlorothalonil, could promote the formation of Urolithiasis (OR = 1.12), which was a risk factor for Urolithiasis.1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-GPC, an important component of phospholipid metabolism in human body, can inhibit the formation of Urolithiasis (OR = 0.94). Conclusions: Our results suggest that blood metabolites can be used as blood markers and drug targets for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Urolithiasis, and provide a basis for the government to formulate prevention and treatment policies for urolithiasis.

    Keywords: Plasma metabolites, Urolithiasis, Mendelian randomization, prevention, causal relationship

    Received: 30 May 2024; Accepted: 12 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhu, Li, Zhang, Ji and Liu. 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: Zongtao Liu, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 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.