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BMC Pulmonary Medicine
Published in: BMC Pulmonary Medicine 1/2024

Open Access 01-12-2024 | Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis | Research

Exploring the causal relationship between immune cells and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a bi-directional Mendelian randomization study

Authors: Zhao He, Ruixin Wang, Chenghu Song, Jiwei Liu, Ruo Chen, Mingfeng Zheng, Weici Liu, Guanyu Jiang, Wenjun Mao

Published in: BMC Pulmonary Medicine | Issue 1/2024

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Abstract

Background

The potential pathogenic mechanism of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is widely recognized to involve immune dysregulation. However, the current pool of studies has yet to establish a unanimous agreement regarding the correlation between various types of immune cells and IPF.

Methods

By conducting a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis using publicly available genetic data, the study examined the causal relationship between IPF and 731 immune cells. To ensure the reliability of the results, combined sensitivity analyses and inverse Mendelian analyses were conducted. Moreover, within subgroups, multivariate Mendelian randomization analyses were utilized to investigate the autonomous causal connection between immune cell characteristics and IPF.

Results

After adjusting for false discovery rate, it was discovered that 20 immunophenotypes exhibited a significant association with IPF. After subgrouping for multivariate Mendelian randomization analysis, there were six immunophenotypes that remained significantly associated with IPF. These included CD33 + HLA DR + CD14dim (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.99, P = 0.033), HLA DR + NK (OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.85–0.98, P = 0.017), CD39 + CD8 + T cell %T cell (OR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88–0.99, P = 0.024), CD3 on activated & secreting Treg (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.84–0.98, P = 0.026), PDL-1 on CD14- CD16 + monocyte (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.84–0.95, P = 8 × 10–4), and CD45 on CD33 + HLA DR + CD14- (OR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.15, P = 0.011).

Conclusion

Our study reveals a noteworthy association between IPF and various immune cells, providing valuable insights for clinical research and aiding the advancement of immunologically-based therapeutic strategies.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Exploring the causal relationship between immune cells and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a bi-directional Mendelian randomization study
Authors
Zhao He
Ruixin Wang
Chenghu Song
Jiwei Liu
Ruo Chen
Mingfeng Zheng
Weici Liu
Guanyu Jiang
Wenjun Mao
Publication date
01-12-2024
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Pulmonary Medicine / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2466
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-024-02942-w

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