Growth differentiation factor 15

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 or GDF15 is a cytokine and circulating protein produced in the body in response to different stressors.[1][2] Circulating GDF15 levels are known to be highly elevated in mitochondrial disorders, which have early skeletal muscle fatigue as a key symptom.[2]

GDF15 in ME/CFS patients

Severe ME/CFS is associated with increased levels of GDF15, a circulating biomarker of cellular stress that appears which stable over several months.

Melvin et al. 2019


ME/CFS[edit | edit source]

Melvin et al. (2019) investigated where GDF15 could act as a potential biomarker of cellular stress in ME/CFS patients, finding that GDF15 levels were positively correlated with fatigue levels in ME/CFS patients.[2] The same study, which compared GDF15 levels in 50 patients with severe ME/CFS and 100 patients with mild/moderate ME/CFS, also found higher GDF15 levels in patients with ME/CFS than in patients with multiple sclerosis or healthy controls, with the more severely ill ME/CFS patients having the highest levels.[2]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Zoltani, Csaba K. (2014). "Cardiovascular toxicity biomarkers". In Gupta, Ramesh C. (ed.). Biomarkers in Toxicity. Boston: Academic Press. pp. 199–215. ISBN 978-0-12-404630-6.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Melvin, Audrey; Lacerda, Eliana; Dockrell, Hazel; O'Rahilly, Stephen; Nacul, Luis (November 27, 2019). "Circulating levels of GDF15 in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Journal of Translational Medicine. doi:10.17863/CAM.46401. ISSN 1479-5876. Retrieved December 1, 2019.