NEW YORK – A shared set of blood plasma proteins appear to coincide with the risk of both heart failure and frailty in elderly individuals, according to a recent study led by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
The research, published in JAMA Cardiology, utilized version 4 of SomaLogic’s SomaScan assay to profile 4,697 protein aptamers in blood plasma samples from 10,638 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Researchers set these proteomic results against hospitalization, frailty, and other outcome data.
“This analysis is among the first to leverage large-scale proteomics to investigate shared molecular pathways linking frailty and [heart failure] and adds novel information regarding shared protein risk markers and pathways,” said senior and corresponding author Amil Shah, a researcher with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s cardiovascular medicine division.
Key Findings
Proteomic Profiling:
The study generated proteomic profiles from ARIC participants during their third and fifth study visits.
Researchers identified 286 proteins linked to incident heart failure in samples collected at or after study visit three.
Among these, 83 proteins remained associated with heart failure at study visit five.
Shared Protein Risk Markers:
A subset of proteins linked to incident heart failure at study visit five were also associated with incident frailty in individuals without heart failure.
At study visit six, 18 proteins were associated with both heart failure and frailty.
Biological Pathways:
The plasma proteins tracked frailty features such as reduced walking speed, diminished grip strength, and lower energy, suggesting processes relevant to heart failure risk.
The proteins were linked to pathways involved in fibrosis and inflammation.
These findings were validated using data from 3,189 individuals in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).
Mendelian Randomization Analyses:
The analyses indicated potential causal effects of several proteins on both frailty and heart failure or cardiac dysfunction.
Implications
The study’s results represent a significant step forward in understanding the molecular pathways shared by frailty and heart failure. By identifying shared protein risk markers, the research opens new avenues for early diagnosis and potential therapeutic targets for these conditions in elderly individuals.