Causal association between cytokines and deep vein thrombosis based on Mendelian randomization

Objective Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a complex disease influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Previous studies have shown that cytokines are correlated with deep vein thrombosis. However, the causal relationships between them have not been examined till now. Here we conduct Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses aiming to identify the cytokines which have causal effect on DVT. Methods We used both IVW and MR-Egger methods to assess the causality between 41 cytokines including growth factor, chemokines, interleukin, tumor necrosis factor, etc. and two phenotypes (DVT and DVT in leg) based on the data from genome-wide association studies on cytokines and DVT. Pleiotropy of final estimation was evaluated by multiple methods. Results MR analyses showed that interleukin -12p70 increased the risk of DVT (IVW: OR = 1.03: 95%CI: 1.01-1.04; P<0.001). For DVT in leg, the MR results revealed a significant causal effect of interleukin-12p70 (IVW: OR = 1.02; 95%CI: 1.01-1.04; P=0.008). Conclusion The results suggest that interleukin 12p70 promotes the formation of DVT.