Exploring glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as potential disease-modifying agents in autoimmune diseases

IF 7.9 1区医学 Q1 IMMUNOLOGY

Journal of autoimmunity Pub Date : 2025-04-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jaut.2025.103414

Yuanyuan Yang , Wencong Liu , Zechang Zhang , Yujia zhang , Xuebin Wang , Jing Wang , Huaifang Cai , Yichan Liu , Ran Meng , Yuqi Fu , Hongmin Luo , Lei Yang , Wenxuan Liu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are emerging with therapeutic agents for the treatment of two of the most prevalent metabolic disorders: diabetes and obesity. However, the causal relationship between GLP-1R agonists and autoimmune diseases is still unclear.

Methods

The available cis-eQTLs for drug target genes (GLP-1Rs) were used as proxies for exposure to GLP-1R agonists. Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were used as positive controls to ensure the reliability of the genetic instrument. Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed to reveal the causal association of genetic proxy GLP-1R agonists with 18 autoimmune diseases from the IEU OpenGwas database and FinnGen database. Finally, the results of the two databases were analyzed via meta-analysis.

Results

A total of 22 significant cis-eQTL single-nucleotide polymorphisms were included as genetic instruments. Positive control analysis revealed that GLP-1R agonists were significantly associated with obesity (OR = 0.826, p = 0.021) and T2DM (OR = 0.886, p < 0.001), which is consistent with the meta-analysis. MR analysis revealed that increased expression of the GLP-1R gene has a significant protective effect on type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), hypothyroidism, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the MR analysis suggested that increased expression of GLP-1R agonists may increase the risk of Graves' disease (GD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and psoriasis. Our findings were consistent with those of the meta-analysis.

Conclusions

This study provides new insights into potential adjuvant treatments for autoimmune diseases from the perspective of genetic variation and provides evidence for the safety of GLP-1R agonists.

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来源期刊

Journal of autoimmunity 医学-免疫学

CiteScore

27.90

自引率

1.60%

发文量

117

审稿时长

17 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Autoimmunity serves as the primary publication for research on various facets of autoimmunity. These include topics such as the mechanism of self-recognition, regulation of autoimmune responses, experimental autoimmune diseases, diagnostic tests for autoantibodies, as well as the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of autoimmune diseases. While the journal covers a wide range of subjects, it emphasizes papers exploring the genetic, molecular biology, and cellular aspects of the field. The Journal of Translational Autoimmunity, on the other hand, is a subsidiary journal of the Journal of Autoimmunity. It focuses specifically on translating scientific discoveries in autoimmunity into clinical applications and practical solutions. By highlighting research that bridges the gap between basic science and clinical practice, the Journal of Translational Autoimmunity aims to advance the understanding and treatment of autoimmune diseases.