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. 2024 Dec;15(6):1849-1857.
doi: 10.1007/s41999-024-01074-y. Epub 2024 Oct 3.

Low serum Metrnl levels are associated with increased risk of sarcopenia in the older adults

Zhi-Yue Wang #  1 , Yi-Min Li #  2 , Jian-Jun Yan #  3 , Quan Wang  4 , Can Zhao  4 , Xiang Lu  4 , Zheng-Kai Shen  5 , Jin-Shui Xu  6 , Wei Gao  7
Affiliations

Low serum Metrnl levels are associated with increased risk of sarcopenia in the older adults

Zhi-Yue Wang et al. Eur Geriatr Med. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by progressive loss of muscle mass and function. Meteorin-like (Metrnl) is a secretory protein that has protective effects on skeletal muscle injury. However, the association of Metrnl level with sarcopenia remains unclear.

Methods: A total of 772 community-dwelling older adults (median age = 76 years), comprising 409 males and 363 females, from both urban and rural areas were enrolled. Serum Metrnl was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), grip strength, and gait speed were measured for the assessment of sarcopenia.

Results: We found that serum Metrnl levels were lower in patients with sarcopenia [median (IQR) = 180.1 (151.3-220.3) pg/mL] than older adults without sarcopenia [211.9 (163.2-270.0) pg/mL, P < 0.001]. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off value of serum Metrnl level that predicted sarcopenia was 197.2 pg/mL with a sensitivity of 59.2% and a specificity of 63.8% (AUC = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.59-0.67, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that lower serum Metrnl level (< 197.2 pg/mL) was significantly associated with increased risk of sarcopenia (adjusted OR = 2.358, 2.36, 95% CI = 1.528-3.685, P < 0.001). Moreover, serum Metrnl concentration was positively correlated with the components of sarcopenia including ASMI (r = 0.135, P < 0.001), grip strength (r = 0.102, P = 0.005), and gait speed (r = 0.106, P = 0.003).

Conclusions: Taken together, our findings demonstrate that low serum Metrnl level is correlated with increased risk of sarcopenia in the older adults.

Keywords: Metrnl; Older adults; Sarcopenia; Serum.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethical approval: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Sir Run Run Hospital, Nanjing Medical University (Approval No. 2019-SR-S041). Informed consent: Written informed consent was obtained from each participant.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the diagnostic accuracy of Serum Metrnl for sarcopenia (n = 772). AUC: Area Under Curve
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Association of serum Metrnl with the severity of sarcopenia. A–C Correlation of serum Metrnl level with ASMI (A), grip strength (B), and gait speed (C). D Serum Metrnl level in subjects without sarcopenia, patients with moderate sarcopenia, and patients with severe sarcopenia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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