Volatile organic compounds exposure, biological ageing, and increased sarcopenia risk: Association, interaction, and mechanistic exploration.

Le Hong, Qing Liu, Wei Liu, Jiahao Song, Shuhui Wan, Zhiying Huo, Yongfang Zhang, Da Shi, Ruyi Liang, Bingdong Chen, Yani Xiong, Feifei Wang, Pengfei Chen, Weihong Chen, Bin Wang

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Evidence on the impacts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a class of ubiquitous environmental toxics, on sarcopenia, a major age-related global health issue, remains scarce. Data from 3007 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2018) were analyzed to assess the individual and mixture effects of 16 VOCs metabolites (VOCMs) on sarcopenia using multivariate logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models. Network pharmacology was employed to explore potential underlying mechanisms. The phenotypic age (PhenoAge), a biomarker of biological ageing, was used to evaluate its interaction with VOCMs. Several VOCMs, including 2-aminothiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (ATCA; odds ratio: 1.30, 95 % confidence interval: 1.07-1.57), N-acetyl-S-(2-carboxyethyl)-l-cysteine (CEMA; 1.40, 1.01-1.94), N-acetyl-S-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)-l-cysteine (DHBMA; 2.35, 1.45-3.82), and 3-methylhippuric acid & 4-methylhippuric acid (3,4MHA; 1.32, 1.05-1.64), were associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia. The mixture of 16 VOCMs was linked to a higher sarcopenia risk in both BKMR and WQS (1.79, 1.30-2.49) models. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway was identified as a key mechanism underlying the VOCs-sarcopenia relationship. PhenoAge was associated with an elevated sarcopenia risk (1.05, 1.01-1.09) and intensified the adverse effects of VOCMs (P

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Research summary

The paper claims that exposure to specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia, potentially mediated by biological aging markers. This research is relevant as it explores environmental factors that may contribute to biological aging and age-related conditions, addressing potential root causes rather than merely treating symptoms.

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