Causal Relationship Between Complement C3, C4, and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

ABSTRACT: The complement system is activated during the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to evaluate the causal relationship between serum C3 and C4 levels and NAFLD. After exclusion criteria, a total of 1600 Chinese Han men from the Fangchenggang Area Male Health and Examination Survey cohort were enrolled in cross-sectional analysis, while 572 participants were included in the longitudinal analysis (average follow-up of 4 years). We performed a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using two C3-related, eight C4-related and three NAFLD-related gene loci as instrumental variables to evaluate the causal associations between C3, C4, and NAFLD risk in cross-sectional analysis. Per SD increase in C3 levels was significantly associated with higher risk of N

SUBMITTER: Li L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9590569 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature