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Free androgen index and Irisin in polycystic ovary syndrome

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Abstract

Purpose

PCOS is associated with hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance (IR). Recent studies have shown that circulating Irisin levels increase in PCOS women. However, no report has demonstrated a relationship between Irisin and hyperandrogenism in PCOS women. The purpose of the study was to compare interrelationship between Irisin or androgen excess with IR in PCOS and normal subjects.

Methods

166 PCOS and 103 control women were prospectively studied. Euglycemic- hyperinsulinemic clamps were preformed to assess their insulin sensitivity, which was expressed as M value. Circulating Irisin was determined by ELISA kit. Circulating androgens were measured using ultrasensitive assays.

Results

PCOS women with high FAI had significantly higher BMI, FAT%, TC, DHEA-S and HOMA-IR, and significantly lower levels of M values and SHBG than PCOS women with low FAI or the controls. Pearson correlations showed that in the entire population, FAI correlated positively with BMI, WHR, FAT%, blood pressure, TG, DHEA-S, LH/FSH, AUCinsulin, HOMA-IR and Irisin, and negatively with M values. In multiple stepwise regression analysis, only FAT%, DHEA-S and LH/FSH were independent related factors with FAI.

Conclusion

The elevated Irisin levels in PCOS women were associated with androgen excess. Circulating Irisin is a primary predictor of hyperandrogenism, MetS and IR in PCOS women.

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Abbreviations

PCOS:

Polycystic ovary syndrome

BMI:

Body mass index

FAT%:

The percentage of fat in vivo

TC:

Total cholesterol

DHEA-S:

Dehydroepiandrostenedione sulfate

HOMA-IR:

Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance

SHBG:

Sex hormone binding globulin

WHR:

Waist-to-hip ratio

TG:

Triglyceride

LH:

Luteinizing hormone

FSH:

Follicle- stimulating hormone

AUCinsulin :

The area under the curve for insulin

FAI:

Free androgen index

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Hospital, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563003, Guizhou, China

      H. Li, X. Wang, X. Liao & L. Gao

    2. Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, China

      X. Xu & G. Yang

    3. Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine (Ministry of Education) and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China

      L. Li

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    1. H. Li
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    Correspondence to L. Gao.

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    Funding

    This work was supported by research grants from the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (20105503110003).

    Conflict of interest

    The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in prepared manuscript.

    Ethical approval

    The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the human research ethics committee of Chongqing Medical University (Ethical review of scientific research No. 68, approved time: August 15th, 2014). And have been performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

    Informed consent

    Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

    Additional information

    H. Li, X. Xu have contributed equally to this work.

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    Li, H., Xu, X., Wang, X. et al. Free androgen index and Irisin in polycystic ovary syndrome. J Endocrinol Invest 39, 549–556 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-015-0403-7

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-015-0403-7

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