Mechanisms
CETP is identified as a candidate serum biomarker for diagnosing sarcopenia in older adults (BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2022)
Original title: Characterization of serum protein expression profiles in the early sarcopenia older adults with low grip strength: a cross-sectional study
In a cross-sectional study of 5 older adults with sarcopenia and 5 healthy older controls, researchers performed serum proteomic profiling to identify differentially expressed proteins associated with sarcopenia. Among 114 differentially expressed proteins (48 upregulated, 66 downregulated), functional enrichment analysis showed significant involvement in low-density lipoprotein particle remodelling and negative regulation of immune response. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified CETP and apolipoprotein A2 as candidate biomarkers to help diagnose sarcopenia, suggesting lipoprotein-remodelling pathways involving CETP may be altered in this muscle-wasting condition, though the small sample size warrants confirmation in larger cohorts.
Original abstract
Background: Sarcopenia refers to the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and muscle function, which seriously threatens the quality of life of the older adults. Therefore, early diagnosis is urgently needed. This study aimed to explore the changes of serum protein profiles in sarcopenia patients through a cross-sectional study, and to provide the reference for clinical diagnosis.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study carried out in the Tianjin institute of physical education teaching experiment training center from December 2019 to December 2020. Ten older adults were recruited, including 5 sarcopenia and 5 healthy older adults. After a detailed diagnostic evaluation, blood samples were collected to prepare serum for proteomic analysis using the HPLC System Easy nLC method. The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were screened by the limma package of R software (version 4.1.0).
Results: A total of 114 DEPs were identified between the patients and healthy older adults, including 48 up-regulated proteins and 66 down-regulated proteins. The functional enrichment analysis showed that the 114 DEPs were significantly enriched in 153 GO terms, which mainly involved in low-density lipoprotein particle remodeling, and negative regulation of immune response,etc. The PPI network further suggested that the cholesteryl ester transfer protein and Apolipoprotein A2 could serve as biomarkers to facilitate diagnosis of sarcopenia.
Conclusions: This study provided a serum proteomic profile of sarcopenia patients, and identified two proteins with diagnostic value, which might help to improve the diagnostic accuracy of sarcopenia.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.