Lower activity of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and the risk of dementia: a Mendelian randomization analysis

Abstract

AbstractElevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are linked to dementia risk, and conversely, increased plasma concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein-A1 (Apo-A1) associate with decreased dementia risk. Inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) meaningfully affects the concentrations of these blood lipids and may therefore provide an opportunity to treat dementia. Drug target Mendelian randomization (MR) was employed to anticipate the on-target effects of lower CETP concentration (µg/mL) on plasma lipids, cardiovascular disease outcomes, Lewy body dementia (LBD) as well as Parkinson’s dementia. MR analysis of lower CETP concentration recapitulated the blood lipid effects observed in clinical trials of CETP-inhibitors, as well as protective effects on CHD (odds ratio (OR) 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89; 0.96), heart failure, abdominal aortic aneurysm any stroke, ischemic stroke, and small vessel stroke (0.90, 95%CI 0.85; 0.96). Consideration of dementia related traits indicated that lower CETP concentrations were associated higher total brain volume (0.04 per standard deviation, 95%CI 0.02; 0.06), lower risk of LBD (OR 0.81, 95%CI 0.74; 0.89) and Parkinson’s dementia risk (OR 0.26, 95%CI 0.14; 0.48).APOE4stratified analyses suggested the LBD effect was most pronounced inAPOE-ε4+ participants (OR 0.61 95%CI 0.51; 0.73), compared toAPOE-ε4-(OR 0.89 95%CI 0.79; 1.01); interaction p-value 5.81×10-4. Additionally, MR was employed to link plasma CETP concentration to the levels of cerebrospinal fluid and brain proteins previously implicated in neurodegenerative pathways These results suggest that inhibition of CETP may be a viable strategy to treat dementia.