Yu Jie, Liu Yiwen, Zhang Huabing, Ping Fan, Li Wei, Xu Lingling, Li Yuxiu
Department of Endocrinology, Key Laboratory of Endocrinology of National Health Commission, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730.
Department of Endocrinology, Key Laboratory of Endocrinology of National Health Commission, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730.
J Nutr Health Aging. 2025 Apr;29(4):100493. doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2025.100493. Epub 2025 Feb 3.
Telomere length(TL)and mitochondrial DNA copy number(mtDNAcn) are classic biomarker of aging. Recently, growth differentiation factor 15(GDF15) has attracted considerable attention as a vital component in the aging process.
The present study aimed to study the relationship between GDF15 and telomere length and mtDNAcn.This was a cross-sectional analysis nested in a longitudinal cohort study conducted in Changping District, Beijing, from 2014 to 2021. Serum GDF15,leukocyte lelomere length(LTL) and mtDNAcn were determined in 802 subjects.LTL and mtDNAcn was quantified by real-time PCR assay. Multivariate linear regression and restricted cubic spline diagram were used for statistical analysis.
Subjects with higher GDF15 were older,had larger waist circumference, higher systolic blood pressure and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c),shorter LTL and tended to had less mtDNAcn. In correlation analysis, GDF15 was positively correlated with age, while LTL and mtDNAcn were negatively correlated with age.After adjusting for confounding factors,GDF15 was negatively associated with LTL (β = -0.120, 95%CI [-0.197, -0.042], p = 0.003) and the association was linear(p for nonlinear = 0.645), while the negative association between GDF15 and mtDNAcn did not reach significance.In the stratified analyses,the negative associations between GDF15 and LTL were more prominent in women, overweight individuals, or subjects with abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT), but similar results were observed in younger and older subjects.
This study found a linear negative association between GDF 15 and LTL,which was more prominent in women, overweight or AGT subjects.These results supported that GDF15 might be a reliable biomarker of aging.
端粒长度（TL）和线粒体DNA拷贝数（mtDNAcn）是衰老的经典生物标志物。近年来，生长分化因子15（GDF15）作为衰老过程中的一个重要组成部分受到了广泛关注。
本研究旨在探讨GDF15与端粒长度及mtDNAcn之间的关系。这是一项横断面分析，嵌套于2014年至2021年在北京昌平区进行的一项纵向队列研究中。对802名受试者测定了血清GDF15、白细胞端粒长度（LTL）和mtDNAcn。通过实时PCR测定法对LTL和mtDNAcn进行定量。采用多元线性回归和限制性立方样条图进行统计分析。
GDF15水平较高的受试者年龄较大，腰围较大，收缩压和糖化血红蛋白A1c（HbA1c）较高，LTL较短，且mtDNAcn往往较少。在相关性分析中，GDF15与年龄呈正相关，而LTL和mtDNAcn与年龄呈负相关。在调整混杂因素后，GDF15与LTL呈负相关（β = -0.120，95%CI [-0.197, -0.042]，p = 0.003），且这种关联是线性的（非线性p = 0.645），而GDF15与mtDNAcn之间的负相关未达到显著水平。在分层分析中，GDF15与LTL之间的负相关在女性、超重个体或糖耐量异常（AGT）受试者中更为突出，但在年轻和老年受试者中也观察到了类似结果。
本研究发现GDF15与LTL之间存在线性负相关，在女性、超重或AGT受试者中更为突出。这些结果支持GDF15可能是一种可靠的衰老生物标志物。
