Associations and potential epigenetic changes between air pollution and osteoarthritis risk and survival: Insights from a prospective cohort study
Jing Qian, Jiahao Zhu, Yifan Wang, Ruoqi Dai, Jingyou Miao, Yang Ye, Wenxia Zhao, Jing Wang, Lilu Ding, Dan Zhou, Yu Min, Yingjun Li
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The influence of air pollution on osteoarthritis (OA) remains underexplored. METHODS: ), and air pollutants exposure score (APES). Cox models assessed associations between air pollution exposure and OA incidence, joint replacement, and survival. Additionally, using genome-wide association statistics, we examined the potential causal associations between air pollution-related DNA methylation (DNAm) and OA risk. Gene-environment interaction analyses were conducted to explore the potential modification effect of DNA methylation-related genetic variants on the impact of air pollution on OA risk. RESULTS: -related CpG site cg04027612 near the GDF5 gene was associated with a lower risk of OA. A potential epigenetic modification effect of cg04027612 near GDF5 on OA risk was observed. CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with an increased risk of OA in the population and poorer survival outcomes for OA patients, with epigenetic changes in GDF5 potentially playing a role in the underlying mechanisms.