Plasma Leukocyte Cell-Derived Chemotaxin-2 as a Risk Factor of Sarcopenia: Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study
- PMID: 40284206
- PMCID: PMC12029840
- DOI: 10.3390/nu17081342
Plasma Leukocyte Cell-Derived Chemotaxin-2 as a Risk Factor of Sarcopenia: Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study
Abstract
Background/Objective: Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin-2 (LECT2), a hepatokine, is implicated in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although NAFLD and sarcopenia are closely linked, the relationship between plasma LECT2 levels and sarcopenia remains unclear. Methods: We analyzed plasma LECT2 levels in 400 older adults aged 70-84 years old living in the community enrolled in the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. The appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and handgrip strength (HGS), both adjusted for the BMI, were used to evaluate the muscle mass and strength. A low muscle mass (LMM) was defined using the sex-specific lowest quintile of ASM/BMI as the cutoff value, while a low muscle strength (LMS) was determined based on the lowest quintile of the HGS/BMI. Sarcopenia was defined by the coexistence of an LMM and LMS. Results: NAFLD was identified using a fatty liver index > 30. The participants with NAFLD had significantly higher plasma LECT2 levels compared to their non-NAFLD counterparts (34.4 [29.3-41.1] vs. 29.0 [24.7-36.7] ng/mL, p < 0.001). Circulating LECT2 levels were inversely correlated with ASM/BMI (r = -0.506, p < 0.001) and HGS/BMI (r = -0.474, p < 0.001), as determined by Spearman correlation analysis. Among the study participants, 79 (19.8%) were categorized as having either an LMM or LMS, and 31 (7.8%) were identified as having sarcopenia. In multivariate logistic regression, the highest LECT2 quartile had markedly greater odds of an LMM (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.41-7.75), LMS (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.29-6.26), and sarcopenia (OR 5.48, 95% CI 1.57-19.05) relative to the lowest quartile. Conclusions: Our results indicate that elevated plasma LECT2, a hepatokine increased in NAFLD, contributes to an increased risk of sarcopenia in older adults.
Keywords: leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2; muscle strength; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; sarcopenia; skeletal muscle.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interests.
Figures


Similar articles
-
Impact of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on the risk of sarcopenia: a nationwide multicenter prospective study.Hepatol Int. 2022 Jun;16(3):545-554. doi: 10.1007/s12072-021-10258-8. Epub 2021 Nov 15. Hepatol Int. 2022. PMID: 34780030
-
Association of leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) with NAFLD, metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis.PLoS One. 2017 Apr 4;12(4):e0174717. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174717. eCollection 2017. PLoS One. 2017. PMID: 28376109 Free PMC article.
-
Association of plasma FGF21 levels with muscle mass and muscle strength in a national multicentre cohort study: Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study.Age Ageing. 2021 Nov 10;50(6):1971-1978. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afab178. Age Ageing. 2021. PMID: 34591968
-
Differences among skeletal muscle mass indices derived from height-, weight-, and body mass index-adjusted models in assessing sarcopenia.Korean J Intern Med. 2016 Jul;31(4):643-50. doi: 10.3904/kjim.2016.015. Epub 2016 Jun 22. Korean J Intern Med. 2016. PMID: 27334763 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Sarcopenia as a Risk Factor for Mortality in NAFLD: How Should We Diagnose It?J Dig Dis. 2024 Nov-Dec;25(11-12):645-654. doi: 10.1111/1751-2980.13329. Epub 2025 Feb 2. J Dig Dis. 2024. PMID: 39895153 Review.
References
-
- Chen L.K., Woo J., Assantachai P., Auyeung T.W., Chou M.Y., Iijima K., Jang H.C., Kang L., Kim M., Kim S., et al. Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia: 2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Treatment. J. Am. Med. Dir. Assoc. 2020;21:300–307.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2019.12.012. - DOI - PubMed
-
- Kirk B., Cawthon P.M., Arai H., Ávila-Funes J.A., Barazzoni R., Bhasin S., Binder E.F., Bruyere O., Cederholm T., Chen L.-K., et al. The Conceptual Definition of Sarcopenia: Delphi Consensus from the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS) Age Ageing. 2024;53:afae052. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae052. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous