Causal Link of Seven Trace Elements and Eight Nutrients With Meningioma: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Meningiomas, the second most common intracranial tumors, account for over one-third of primary central nervous system tumors. Recent studies suggest a link between trace elements, nutrients, and tumor development. This study used Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate causal links between trace elements, nutrients, and meningioma.

METHODS

The data for trace elements and nutrients were derived from the published IEU OpenGWAS database. The genome-wide association study data for meningiomas were sourced from the Finnish database. Two-sample MR approach was leveraged to examine the causal link of seven trace elements and eight nutrients with meningioma. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger test, and weighted median methods were applied to infer causal links. Sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the robustness of the results. Reverse MR (RMR) analysis was further carried out with meningiomas as the exposure factor and trace elements and nutrients as the outcome. A multivariable MR (MVMR) method was adopted to appraise the combined effects of several exposure factors on meningioma.

RESULTS

The two-sample MR analysis revealed that Zn (OR = 1.484, 95% CI: 1.222-1.803, p = 6.90E-05), as an exposure factor, may increase the risk of meningioma. The RMR analysis indicated no evident causal connection. According to the MVMR analysis, Zn was an independent risk factor for meningiomas (OR = 1.391, 95% CI: 0.042-0.617, p = 0.025).

CONCLUSION

Zn is an independent risk factor for meningioma, which is significant for developing prevention and management strategies for meningioma.