The causal relationship between serum metabolites and acne vulgaris: a Mendelian randomization study

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 11045
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiaoyun, Wu, Yujia, Zhao, Pengfei, Wang, Xinren, Wu, Wenjuan, Yang, Jiankang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 14.05.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/114; 692/699/4033/4035; Acne; Acne vulgaris; Acne Vulgaris - blood; Acne Vulgaris - genetics; Cancer; Causal inference; Genome-wide association; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genomes; Heterogeneity; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Mendelian randomization; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Metabolites; multidisciplinary; Observational studies; Pleiotropy; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Research methodology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensitivity analysis; Serum metabolites; Acne vulgaris; Causal inference; Mendelian randomization; Genome-wide association; Serum metabolites
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61850-5

In individuals with acne vulgaris, alterations occur in serum metabolite composition, yet the exact causal link between these metabolites and acne development remains elusive. Using genome-wide association datasets, we performed bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the potential causal relationship between 309 serum metabolites and acne vulgaris. We performed sensitivity analysis to evaluate the presence of heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Forward MR analysis found 14 serum metabolites significantly associated with acne vulgaris, and reverse MR analysis found no significant association between acne vulgaris and these serum metabolites. Through validation using data from the FinnGen database of acne vulgaris studies, we found a conclusive and significant correlation between stearoylcarnitine and acne vulgaris. This provides new evidence in the search for new targets for the treatment of acne vulgaris.