title: Association of frailty with the serine protease HtrA1 in older adults.
abstract: Frailty is a geriatric syndrome characterized by multi system dysregulation. It has been suggested that chronic inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of frailty. No study so far has identified accurate, specific and sensitive molecular biomarkers for frailty. High-temperature requirement serine protease A1 (HtrA1) is a secreted multidomain serine protease implicated in the inhibition of signaling of active transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)1, a cytokine which has an important anti-inflammation role. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of circulating levels of HtrA1 with frailty in a sample of older adults. The study was performed in 120 older adults aged >65years and admitted to a geriatric outpatient clinic. The frailty status of participants was assessed by both the Fried's criteria (physical frailty, PF) and a modified Rockwood's frailty index (FI). Plasma HtrA1 concentration was measured using commercial ELISA kit. Frailty was identified in 61/120 participants (50.8%) using PF, and in 60/118 subjects (50.8%) using FI. Plasma levels of HtrA1 were significantly higher in individuals classified as frail according to PF (75.9ng/mL, 95% CI 67.4-85.6) as compared with non-frail participants (48.4ng/mL, 95% CI 42.5-54.6, p<0.001). A significant association was also observed between frailty, assessed by FI, and HtrA1 levels (72.2ng/mL, 95% CI 63.4-82.3, vs. 50.4ng/mL, 95% CI 44.3-58.0, p<0.001). These associations were confirmed after adjusting for potential confounders. This study demonstrates for the first time the association of plasma levels of HtrA1 with frailty status. Future investigations are needed to validate the potential value of HtrA1 as possible biomarker for frailty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: mlorenziusa@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lorenzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Tronto 10/a, 60020 Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lorenzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marzetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Landi
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Vetrano
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Settanni
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antocicco
authors.affiliation: Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Via di Val Cannuta, 247, 00166 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonassi
authors.affiliation: DICOMOSA Group, Department of Psychology, Area of Psychobiology, University of A Coruña, Campus A Coruña, E15071 A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valdiglesias
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bernabei
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Graziano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Onder
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D000074289:High-Temperature Requirement A Serine Peptidase 1; D006801:Humans; D000068884:Immunosenescence; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000074289:High-Temperature Requirement A Serine Peptidase 1; C474012:HTRA1 protein, human; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases
keywords: Biomarkers; Frailty; High-temperature requirement serine protease A1; Immunosenescence; Inflammation; Plasma