Associations Between Klotho/FGF-Related Protein Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, Inflammation, and Muscle Function in Middle-Aged Adults with Obesity: A Pilot Study.

Obese individuals exhibited significantly lower levels of Klotho protein expression in PBMCs compared to healthy controls.

• Study enrolled 45 participants aged 50-60 years: 30 patients with obesity (22F/8M) and 15 healthy controls (11F/4M)
• Protein expression was assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
• This was identified as a significant difference between the obese and control groups
• The finding suggests Klotho alterations may reflect biological processes linked to obesity-associated premature aging

Obese individuals exhibited significantly higher levels of TNF-α protein expression in PBMCs compared to healthy controls.

• TNF-α was assessed alongside Klotho, β-Klotho, FGF19, FGF21, FGF23, and IL-10 in PBMCs
• Higher TNF-α in obese participants is consistent with the known pro-inflammatory state of obesity
• This difference was identified as a significant finding between obese and control groups
• The inverse relationship between Klotho and TNF-α suggests potential anti-inflammatory roles of Klotho

Principal Component Analysis revealed that higher Klotho levels were positively associated with better muscle function and lower inflammatory markers.

• PCA was carried out to explore the relationships among variables including body composition, muscle function, and protein expression data
• Higher Klotho levels clustered with better muscle function outcomes in the PCA
• Higher Klotho levels also clustered with lower inflammatory marker levels in the PCA
• These associations suggest Klotho-related alterations may reflect biological processes linked to inflammation and muscle dysfunction in obesity

Comprehensive body composition and muscle function assessments were conducted alongside PBMC protein expression evaluations.

• Assessments included body composition analysis and muscle function tests
• Protein expression of Klotho, β-Klotho, FGF19, FGF21, FGF23, TNF-α, and IL-10 were evaluated in PBMCs
• The study focused on middle-aged adults (50-60 years) to examine premature aging phenotypes
• This was described as a pilot study with an exploratory design, and findings are intended as hypothesis-generating

Alterations in the Klotho/FGF system may reflect biological pathways associated with aging-related phenotypes in obesity rather than direct measures of chronological aging.

• The authors caution that findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating rather than evidence of causal mechanisms
• The exploratory design and limited sample size (n=45) are noted as key limitations
• The Klotho/FGF system alterations observed are framed as reflecting 'biological processes linked to inflammation and muscle dysfunction in obesity'
• The study specifically investigated premature aging features in middle-aged adults with obesity aged 50-60 years