Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein, a Surrogate Marker of Microbial Translocation, Is Associated With Physical Function in Healthy Older Adults

BACKGROUND: Physical function declines, and markers of inflammation increase with advancing age, even in healthy persons. Microbial translocation (MT) is the systemic exposure to mucosal surface microbes/microbial products without overt bacteremia and has been described in a number of pathologic conditions. We hypothesized that markers of MT, soluble CD14 (sCD14) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding protein (LBP), may be a source of chronic inflammation in older persons and be associated with poorer physical function. METHODS: We assessed cross-sectional relationships among two plasma biomarkers of MT (sCD14 and LBP), physical function (hand grip strength, short physical performance battery SPPB, gait speed, walking distance, and disability questionnaire), and biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), TNF-α soluble receptor 1 TNFsR1) in 59 older (60-89 years), healthy (no evidence of acute or chronic illness) men and women. RESULTS: LBP was inversely correlated with SPPB score and grip strength (p = .02 and p < .01, respectively) and positively correlated with CRP (p = 0.04) after adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index. sCD14 correlated with IL-6 (p = .01), TNF-α (p = .05), and TNFsR1 (p < .0001). Furthermore, the correlations between LBP and SPPB and grip strength remained significant after adjusting for each inflammatory biomarker. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy older individuals, LBP, a surrogate marker of MT, is associated with worse physical function and inflammation. Additional study is needed to determine whether MT is a marker for or a cause of inflammation and the associated functional impairments.