The association between mitochondrial DNA abundance and stroke: A combination of multivariable-adjusted survival and Mendelian randomization analyses

Atherosclerosis. 2022 Aug:354:1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2022.06.1012. Epub 2022 Jun 19.

Abstract

Background and aims: Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are thought to drive disease risk, including stroke. We investigated the association between mtDNA abundance, as a proxy measure of mitochondrial function, and incident stroke, using multivariable-adjusted survival and Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses.

Methods: Cox-proportional hazard model analyses were conducted to assess the association between mtDNA abundance, and incident ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke over a maximum of 14-year follow-up in European-ancestry participants from UK Biobank. MR was conducted using independent (R2 < 0.001) lead variants for mtDNA abundance (p < 5 × 10-8) as instrumental variables. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-ischemic stroke associations were derived from three published open source European-ancestry results databases (cases/controls): MEGASTROKE (60,341/454,450), UK Biobank (2404/368,771) and FinnGen (10,551/202,223). MR was performed per study, and results were subsequently meta-analyzed.

Results: In total, 288,572 unrelated participants (46% men) with mean (SD) age of 57 (8) years were included in the Cox-proportional hazard analyses. After correction for considered confounders (BMI, hypertension, cholesterol, T2D), no association was found between low versus high mtDNA abundance and ischemic (HR: 1.06 [95% CI: 0.95, 1.18]) or hemorrhagic (HR: 0.97 [95% CI: 0.82, 1.15]) stroke. However, in the MR analyses after removal of platelet count-associated SNPs, we found evidence for an association between genetically-influenced mtDNA abundance and ischemic stroke (odds ratio, 1.17; confidence interval, 1.03, 1.32).

Conclusions: Although the results from both multivariable-adjusted prospective and basis MR analyses did not show an association between low mtDNA and increased risk of ischemic stroke, in-depth MR sensitivity analyses may suggest evidence for a causal relationship.

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; Hemorrhagic stroke; Ischemic stroke; Mendelian randomization; Mitochondrial DNA copy numbers; Mitochondrial function; Reactive oxygen species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
  • Female
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Humans
  • Ischemia / complications
  • Ischemic Stroke*
  • Male
  • Mendelian Randomization Analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Mitochondria
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Stroke* / complications
  • Stroke* / epidemiology
  • Stroke* / genetics

Substances

  • DNA, Mitochondrial