Higher Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 Levels Are Causally Associated With Lower Bone Mineral Density of Heel and Femoral Neck: Evidence From Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

Yue Wang, Hui Wang, Peizhan Chen

Frontiers in public health 2020

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Background: Previous observational studies have indicated that high levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a phosphoric hormone that inhibits calcitriol synthesis, in the blood is associated with the reduced bone mineral density (BMD); however, whether this association is causal remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a Mendelian Random (MR) study to investigate whether the genetic predisposition of higher FGF23 levels was causally associated with lower BMD in adults. Methods: A two-sample MR was performed with five single nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with FGF23, selected as instrumental variables. Two-sample MR estimates were derived from summary-level data of large-sample genome-wide association studies for BMD and the levels of bone metabolism characteristics. Results: The two-sample MR analysis showed that for every 1-unit increase in the log-transformed blood FGF23 level (pg/mL), the decreased levels of adult heel BMD (β = -0.201, se = 0.084, P = 0.016) and femoral neck BMD (β = -0.286, se = 0.126, P = 0.022) were noted, indicative of a causal relationship based on the inverse variance weighting method. However, FGF23 levels were not correlated with adult lumbar spine BMD (β = -0.166, se = 0.193, P = 0.389), and forearm BMD (β = -0.186, se = 0.366, P = 0.610). Moreover, the two-sample MR analysis suggested that there was no evidence for associations between FGF23 and adult calcium, phosphorus, 25(OH)D, creatinine, and magnesium levels. Conclusions: This study suggests that there may be a causal relationship between blood FGF23 levels and BMD of the heel and femoral neck in adults; however, more investigations are necessary to determine whether FGF23 may be a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target for diseases that affect bone mineralization. Copyright © 2020 Wang, Wang and Chen.

Citation

Yue Wang, Hui Wang, Peizhan Chen. Higher Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 Levels Are Causally Associated With Lower Bone Mineral Density of Heel and Femoral Neck: Evidence From Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis. Frontiers in public health. 2020;8:467