A large cohort analysis of metabolic signatures underlying the liver-eye axis.

Authors

Mingxing Wu, Xueqin Li, Mingzhi Liu, Jun Zhang, Jingxin Zhou, Kai Jin, Zuyun Liu, Yumei Mao, Yuan Gao, Li Zhang

Published in

Communications medicine. Jul 14, 2026. Epub Jul 14, 2026.

Abstract

The role of the liver, a vital metabolic organ, in ocular health and the corresponding mechanisms remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between liver function and retinal thickness, and whether metabolic signatures (MS) of liver function mediate these associations.
We used data from 31019 participants in UK Biobank. Liver function was measured using seven serum-based circulating biomarkers: alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, total protein, and albumin levels. Retinal thickness was measured using optical coherence tomography, including the retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer, inner nuclear layer-external limiting membrane, external limiting membrane-inner and outer photoreceptor segments, inner and outer photoreceptor segments-retinal pigment epithelium (ISOSRPE), and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The circulating metabolome was quantified using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A linear regression model and formal mediation analyses were performed.
We find that abnormal liver function is significantly associated with increased RPE thickness (β [SE]: 0.094(0.034); P = 0.021) and decreased ISOSRPE thickness (β [SE]: -0.172 (0.048); P < 0.001), after adjusting for demographic, lifestyle factors, best-corrected visual acuity, and intraocular pressures. Among the 249 metabolites, 23 are selected using lasso regression to construct MS for liver function. The mediation proportion of MS in association between liver function and ISOSRPE thickness is 28.6% (P = 0.004). Among the 23 metabolites, six play a significant mediating role in the association between liver function and ISOSRPE thickness, with mediation proportions ranging from 3.20% to 16.4%.
This study demonstrates significant associations of liver function with retinal thickness and reveals potential underlying metabolomic mechanisms, providing insights into the liver-eye axis.

PMID:
42448912
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

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