In this section
@article{Paul:2026:10.1371/journal.pone.0340493,
author = {Paul, R and Rossios, C and Hinken, A and Neil, D and Russell, A and Witham, M and Griffiths, M and Kemp, P},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0340493},
journal = {PLoS ONE},
title = {IL-18 Binding Protein, a biomarker of strength maintenance after surgery but reduced physical performance in age-related sarcopenia},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0340493},
volume = {21},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Inflammation is thought to contribute to muscle loss in acute and chronic sarcopenia. Which inflammatory proteins contribute to sarcopenia in any condition is not clear. In a well-characterised cohort of patients experiencing acute sarcopenia following surgery, we used a proteomic screen of plasma to identify proteins associated with the change in strength. We compared change in handgrip strength over 7 days in surgery patients with plasma protein levels quantified by SOMAscan before and 24h after surgery. Surgery increased circulating concentrations of 295 proteins and decreased 301. Analysis of the day 1 protein levels showed that IL-18BP associated with maintenance of strength. To further investigate relationships between IL18BP and strength, IL-18BP as well as its ligands IL-18 and IL-37, were quantified by ELISA and in surgery patients and in 129 individuals (68 women) with age-related sarcopenia recruited to the Leucine and/or ACE inhibitor (LACE) trial. In LACE participants, the proteins were compared to grip strength, quadriceps maximal voluntary contraction (QMVC) and 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and baseline SARC-F score. In the LACE cohort, IL-18BP was negatively associated with grip strength in men but not women, at baseline (r = −0.314, p = 0.014) and 12 months (r = −0.446, p = 0.001). QMVC and 6MWD showed similar associations. IL-18BP was associated with SARC-F in men (r = 0.389, p = 0.003) but not women. Investigation of SOMAscan data from surgery patients at baseline showed similar inverse associations of IL-18BP with strength. Comparison of circulating IL-18BP with the muscle transcriptome in these patients showed negative enrichment for mitochondrial genes. Analysis of the ligands showed that free IL-18 was proportional to 6MWD. After surgery high IL-18BP levels associate with maintenance of strength but circulating IL-18BP concentrations are associated
AU - Paul,R
AU - Rossios,C
AU - Hinken,A
AU - Neil,D
AU - Russell,A
AU - Witham,M
AU - Griffiths,M
AU - Kemp,P
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0340493
PY - 2026///
SN - 1932-6203
TI - IL-18 Binding Protein, a biomarker of strength maintenance after surgery but reduced physical performance in age-related sarcopenia
T2 - PLoS ONE
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0340493
VL - 21
ER -