Li Y, Quan X, Tai Y, Wu YT, Wei B, Wu H. Causal association between 731 immunocyte phenotypes and liver cirrhosis: A bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization analysis. World J Hepatol 2024; 16(8): 1156-1166 [PMID: 39221101 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i8.1156]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hao Wu, PhD, Doctor, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. hxxhwh@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Clinical and Translational Research
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Hepatol. Aug 27, 2024; 16(8): 1156-1166 Published online Aug 27, 2024. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i8.1156
Causal association between 731 immunocyte phenotypes and liver cirrhosis: A bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization analysis
Ying Li, Xin Quan, Yang Tai, Yu-Tong Wu, Bo Wei, Hao Wu
Ying Li, Xin Quan, Yang Tai, Bo Wei, Hao Wu, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Yu-Tong Wu, Department of Clinical Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Co-first authors: Ying Li and Xin Quan.
Author contributions: Li Y and Quan X designed the study, reviewed the literature, and wrote the manuscript; Tai Y and Wu YT performed the data analyses; Wei B downloaded the data from the genome-wide association studies database, and Wu H participated in the drafting and editing of the manuscript; All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript for submission.
Supported bythe National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82270649.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hao Wu, PhD, Doctor, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. hxxhwh@163.com
Received: June 2, 2024 Revised: July 24, 2024 Accepted: August 2, 2024 Published online: August 27, 2024 Processing time: 81 Days and 15.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Liver cirrhosis is a progressive hepatic disease whose immunological basis has attracted increasing attention. However, it remains unclear whether a concrete causal association exists between immunocyte phenotypes and liver cirrhosis.
AIM
To explore the concrete causal relationships between immunocyte phenotypes and liver cirrhosis through a mendelian randomization (MR) study.
METHODS
Data on 731 immunocyte phenotypes were obtained from genome-wide association studies. Liver cirrhosis data were derived from the Finn Gen dataset, which included 214403 individuals of European ancestry. We used inverse variable weighting as the primary analysis method to assess the causal relationship. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy.
RESULTS
The MR analysis demonstrated that 11 immune cell phenotypes have a positive association with liver cirrhosis [P < 0.05, odds ratio (OR) > 1] and that 9 immunocyte phenotypes were negatively correlated with liver cirrhosis (P < 0.05, OR < 1). Liver cirrhosis was positively linked to 9 immune cell phenotypes (P < 0.05, OR > 1) and negatively linked to 10 immune cell phenotypes (P < 0.05; OR < 1). None of these associations showed heterogeneity or horizontally pleiotropy (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION
This bidirectional two-sample MR study demonstrated a concrete causal association between immunocyte phenotypes and liver cirrhosis. These findings offer new directions for the treatment of liver cirrhosis.
Core Tip: The causal relationship between immunocyte phenotypes and liver cirrhosis has not been fully elucidated. This bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study identified a significant causal association between 731 immunocyte phenotypes and liver cirrhosis. We found that 20 immunocyte phenotypes were associated with liver cirrhosis (P < 0.05), whereas liver cirrhosis was associated with 19 immunocyte phenotypes (P < 0.05). None of these associations showed heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy (P > 0.05). These findings provide novel directions for the treatment of liver cirrhosis.
