{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nAbdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a severe cardiovascular disease involving various genetic and metabolic factors. Micronutrients play critical roles in cardiovascular health, yet their specific impacts on AAA remain unclear. This study aims to explore the effects of micronutrients calcium and zinc on AAA risk mediated by plasma proteins using the two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach.Methods\n\nUtilizing large-scale GWAS data from the UK Biobank; FinnGen databases and Decode database, we assessed the causal relationships between 16 micronutrients concentration and AAA risk and analyzed potential mechanisms mediated by plasma proteins. Strict statistical methods were used to select genetic instrumental variables, and multivariable MR analyses were conducted to dissect direct and indirect effects.Results\n\nGenetically predicted calcium and zinc levels showed nominally significant associations with AAA risk (IVW Ca: OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.04-5.18, p = 0.04; IVW Zn: OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.05-1.47, p = 0.01). Proteome-wide MR analyses identified several AAA-associated plasma proteins. Among the zinc-related analyses, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H2 (ITIH2) was identified as a partial and preliminary mediating factor for the zinc-AAA association. The mediation analysis suggested a modest mediated proportion through ITIH2 (4.65%, 95% CI 0.701%-8.59%). These findings should be interpreted cautiously because the zinc analysis was based on two instrumental variables and the primary micronutrient screen was exploratory.Conclusions\n\nThis study provides suggestive genetic evidence that calcium and zinc may be associated with AAA risk. In addition, ITIH2 may act as a partial and preliminary mediator of the zinc-AAA association, although the mediated proportion was modest and the evidence requires validation in larger datasets. These results highlight the need for further investigation of micronutrients, plasma proteins, and AAA biology before clinical translation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Vascular Surgery, Jiangxi Medical College, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.",
    "Department of Vascular Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province and The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, China.",
    "Queen Mary College of Nanchang University, Xuefu Road, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.",
    "Department of Vascular Surgery, Jiangxi Medical College, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. ndefy09073@ncu.edu.cn.",
    "Department of Vascular Surgery, Jiangxi Medical College, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. dr_lsc@163.com."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wenpeng Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yiliang Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Xiya Yan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Zhihan You"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Weimin Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Shichen Liu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cbhc5gnt8nhfe.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s13019-026-04593-w",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13689334",
  "id": "cbhc5gnt8nhfe",
  "issns": [
    "1749-8090"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907923",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "RD1-811"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "RD78.3-87.3"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2740|Aortic aneurysm repair treatments"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7171101125",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13689334?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13689334",
  "pmid": "42907923",
  "published": "2026-07-01",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cbhc5gnt8nhfe.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:59Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42907923",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907923"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:46:18Z",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-026-04593-w"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "lcc:RD1-811",
      "subfield": "surgery"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Circulating 16 micronutrients concentration and risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm: a two-sample mediation Mendelian randomization analysis.",
  "title_text": "Circulating 16 micronutrients concentration and risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm: a two-sample mediation Mendelian randomization analysis.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T14:20:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cbhc5gnt8nhfe",
  "venue": "Journal of cardiothoracic surgery",
  "versions": []
}