O-26 The Relationship between Tissue Fibrosis Biomarkers and Physical Function and Body Composition: A Pilot Study
Author(s):
AL DePaulis, Y Zhang, I Miljkovic, CL Gordon, VW Wheeler, JM Zmuda, AJ Santanasto
Type Of Study:
- Analytical Study
- Quantitative
Year of Presentation:
2023
Objective: To examine the association between protein
biomarkers of fibrosis and body composition and physical
function in older African-ancestry men living on the Caribbean island of Tobago.
Methods: Men (n=130) were enrolled in the ongoing Tobago Health Studies. Using stored blood samples, the following biomarkers were measured by multiplex immunoassays: CC Chemokine ligand 18 (CCL18), Matrix metalloprotease 2 (MMP2), MMP7, Galectin-3, Growth differentiation factor 15 (GFF15), Osteopontin (OPN), Resistin, Procollagen type III N-terminal peptide (P3NP). At the time of blood collection, grip strength, 4-meter gait speed and peripheral computed tomography (pCT) scans for calf and thigh intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), muscle size, and muscle density. The association between biomarker levels and the measures of physical function and body composition were determined by separate linear regression models adjusted for age, height, weight, chronic diseases, and smoking status.
Results: Participants had a median age of 74.5 [IQR = 69, 79]. OPN (ß = –2.2, p = 0.04) was significantly associated with weaker grip strength. Galectin-3 was significantly associated with higher IMAT (ß = 234.6, p = 0.02) and worse muscle density. MMP7 (ß = –649.6, p= 0.004) was significantly associated with lower calf muscle volume. GDF15 (ß = –57.9, ß = 0.01) was significantly associated with decreased thigh muscle volume.
Conclusion: Higher levels of fibrosis biomarkers were associated with worse muscle strength and muscle composition profiles in African-Caribbean men living on Tobago. Fibrosis may be an understudied mechanism leading to agerelated declines in muscle performance and adverse body composition remodeling.