Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27239406›Full record

ArticleJournal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle2016

Growth differentiation factor-15 is associated with muscle mass in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and promotes muscle wasting in vivo.

Mehul S Patel, Jen Lee, Manuel Baz, Claire E Wells, Susannah Bloch, Amy Lewis, Anna V Donaldson, Benjamin E Garfield, Nicholas S Hopkinson, Amanda Natanek and 5 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
70citing papers in PubMed
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

70 citing papers in PubMed, 116 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effects of Individualized Step Targets on Physical Activity in COPD. A Randomized Study.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2025
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  11. Protective Effects of Regular Physical Activity: Differential Expression ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025
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  13. Review
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  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Clinical risk factors and blood protein biomarkers of 10-year pneumonia risk.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2023
    Article
  20. Review

10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Mehul S PatelNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Jen LeeSection of Molecular Medicine National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London London UK.
Manuel BazNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Claire E WellsInstitute of Infection and Immunity St George's, University of London London UK.
Susannah BlochNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Amy LewisSection of Molecular Medicine National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London London UK.
Anna V DonaldsonNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Benjamin E GarfieldNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Nicholas S HopkinsonNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Amanda NatanekNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
William D-C ManNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Dominic J WellsComparative Biomedical Sciences Royal Veterinary College London UK.
Emma H BakerInstitute of Infection and Immunity St George's, University of London London UK.
Michael I PolkeyNIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London UK.
Paul R KempSection of Molecular Medicine National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London London UK.
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust · GBLung Institute · USSt George's, University of London · GBRoyal Veterinary College · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council G0701628Medical Research Council G0901955Medical Research Council G1001362Medical Research Council MR/J000620/1Medical Research Council MR/K023918/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLoss of muscle mass is a co-morbidity common to a range of chronic diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Several systemic features of COPD including increased inflammatory signalling, oxidative stress, and hypoxia are known to increase the expression of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a protein associated with muscle wasting in other diseases. We therefore hypothesized that GDF-15 may contribute to muscle wasting in COPD.

methodsWe determined the expression of GDF-15 in the serum and muscle of patients with COPD and analysed the association of GDF-15 expression with muscle mass and exercise performance. To determine whether GDF-15 had a direct effect on muscle, we also determined the effect of increased GDF-15 expression on the tibialis anterior of mice by electroporation.

resultsGrowth differentiation factor-15 was increased in the circulation and muscle of COPD patients compared with controls. Circulating GDF-15 was inversely correlated with rectus femoris cross-sectional area (P < 0.001) and exercise capacity (P < 0.001) in two separate cohorts of patients but was not associated with body mass index. GDF-15 levels were associated with 8-oxo-dG in the circulation of patients consistent with a role for oxidative stress in the production of this protein. Local over-expression of GDF-15 in mice caused wasting of the tibialis anterior muscle that expressed it but not in the contralateral muscle suggesting a direct effect of GDF-15 on muscle mass (P < 0.001).

conclusionsTogether, the data suggest that GDF-15 contributes to the loss of muscle mass in COPD.

Indexed as

AtrophyCOPDElectroporationGDF‐15Muscle mass

Identifiers

PMID27239406
PMCPMC4864181
OpenAlexW2239599130

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.