Causal Relationship and Lipid Metabolite-Mediated Mechanisms Linking Free Testosterone to Abdominal Aortic Calcification: Insights from NHANES and Mendelian Randomization Analyses

BackgroundFree testosterone (FT) demonstrates significant associations with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the precise relationship and underlying mediators linking FT and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) remain incompletely understood. This study combined data from NHANES cross-sectional studies with Mendelian randomization (MR) and mediation MR analyses to assess the causal relationship between FT and AAC, and further identified lipid metabolites as potential mediators. MethodsCross-sectional analysis utilized National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data collected during 2013-2014, encompassing 2,654 individuals. Associations between severe AAC (SAAC) and FT were investigated using weighted multivariable regression, subgroup analyses, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression models. Moreover, to verify causal inference, bidirectional two-sample MR analyses were implemented utilizing European ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Subsequently, mediation MR analyses were conducted to quantify the contribution of lipid metabolites to the observed associations. ResultsA significant inverse association was observed between FT and SAAC; compared to participants in the lowest FT quartile, those in the highest quartile had a 67.9% lower risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.321, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.194- 0.529, P value [P] < 0.001). The nonlinear inverse relationship between FT and SAAC was further confirmed by RCS regression (P for nonlinearity = 0.010). MR and mediation analyses corroborated the causal impact of FT on AAC (inverse variance-weighted [IVW] OR = 0.969, 95% CI: 0.941-0.997, P = 0.033). Four lipid-associated metabolites mediated approximately 36.13% of this causal link, namely mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle diameter, triglycerides to total lipid ratio in large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles, total cholesterol to total lipid ratio in chylomicrons and extremely large very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and cholesteryl ester to total lipid ratio in chylomicrons and extremely large VLDL. ConclusionsElevated FT independently associates with a reduced AAC risk and exerts causal effects mediated by lipid metabolic pathways. These findings highlight FT regulation as a potential target for AAC prevention and provide new insights for therapeutic strategies against vascular calcification (VC).