Liang Xiao, Cai Jingjing, Fan Yuchao
Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Front Genet. 2023 Jul 13;14:1220931. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1220931. eCollection 2023.
Gout, an increasingly prevalent form of inflammatory arthritis, is caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints, resulting in severe pain, swelling and stiffness that adversely affect physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The management of gout requires a combination of medication and lifestyle modifications. Recent studies suggest that tea intake may reduce the risk of developing gout; however, further research is needed to establish a causal relationship. In this study, we employed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, utilizing genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics, to investigate the causal association between increased tea intake and gout. We meticulously selected instrumental variables (IVs) based on rigorous criteria and employed five different MR methods. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q statistic, and pleiotropy was evaluated using the MR Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO tests. Weak IVs were identified using F values. The Phenoscanner database was consulted to exclude single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with confounding factors or outcomes. The study included one dataset related to tea intake (ukb-b-6066) and three datasets related to gout (ukb-b-12765, finn-b-M13_GOUT, and finn-b-GOUT_STRICT). Our forward MR analysis suggest a causal relationship between increased tea intake and reduced risk of gout in all three gout-related datasets [OR (95% CI): 0.9966 (0.9938-0.9993), = 0.0167; 0.4842 (0.2683-0.8737), -value = 0.0160; and 0.4554 (0.2155-0.9623), = 0.0393, respectively]. The reveres MR showed increased risk of gout (ukb-b-12765) was significantly associated with low tea intake according to the IVW analysis [OR (95% CI): 0.0062 (0.0002-0.154), = 0.0020]. However, this association was not observed in the Finn-b-M13_GOUT and Finn-b-GOUT_STRICT [OR (95% CI): 0.9992 (0.9909-1.0075), = 0.8453 and OR (95% CI): 0.9996 (0.9932-1.0059), = 0.8896, respectively]. No significant heterogeneity or potential pleiotropy was detected, and the possibility of weak IVs was also excluded. Our MR analysis suggest a causal relationship between genetically predicted tea intake and a decreased risk of gout. These findings underscore the potential advantages of increasing tea intake for preventing gout. However, further research is needed to validate these results and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
痛风是一种日益普遍的炎性关节炎，由尿酸结晶在关节中积聚所致，会导致严重疼痛、肿胀和僵硬，对身体、心理和情绪健康产生不利影响。痛风的治疗需要药物治疗和生活方式改变相结合。近期研究表明，饮茶可能降低患痛风的风险；然而，需要进一步研究来确定因果关系。在本研究中，我们采用双向双样本孟德尔随机化（MR）方法，利用全基因组关联研究（GWAS）汇总统计数据，来研究饮茶增加与痛风之间的因果关联。我们根据严格标准精心选择工具变量（IVs），并采用了五种不同的MR方法。使用 Cochr an's Q统计量评估异质性，使用MR Egger截距和MR-PRESSO检验评估多效性。使用F值识别弱IVs。查阅Phenoscanner数据库以排除与混杂因素或结果相关的单核苷酸多态性。该研究包括一个与饮茶相关的数据集（ukb-b-6066）和三个与痛风相关的数据集（ukb-b-12765、finn-b-M13_GOUT和finn-b-GOUT_STRICT）。我们的正向MR分析表明，在所有三个与痛风相关的数据集中，饮茶增加与痛风风险降低之间存在因果关系[比值比（95%置信区间）：0.9966（0.9938 - 0.9993），P值 = 0.0167；0.4842（0.2683 - 0.8737），P值 = 0.0160；以及0.4554（0.2155 - 0.9623），P值 = 0.039]。反向MR显示，根据IVW分析，痛风风险增加（ukb-b-12765）与低饮茶量显著相关[比值比（95%置信区间）：0.0062（0.0002 - 0.154），P值 = 0.0020]。然而，在Finn-b-M13_GOUT和Finn-b-GOUT_STRICT中未观察到这种关联[比值比（95%置信区间）：0.9992（0.9909 - 1.0075），P值 = 0.8453和比值比（95%置信区间）：0.9996（0.9932 - 1.0059），P值 = 0.8896]。未检测到显著的异质性或潜在的多效性，也排除了弱IVs的可能性。我们的MR分析表明，基因预测的饮茶量与痛风风险降低之间存在因果关系。这些发现强调了增加饮茶量预防痛风的潜在益处。然而，需要进一步研究来验证这些结果并阐明潜在机制。
