Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is now recognized to be the most common endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age with a prevalence of 6.6-6.8%. PCOS, a syndrome of unknown etiology, was initially regarded as a reproductive disorder. However, in the last 15 years the role of insulin resistance (IR) has been identified as a significant contributor to the pathogenesis of PCOS, and the metabolic and cardiovascular sequelae of the syndrome have been increasingly appreciated. The coexistence and interaction of reproductive and cardiometabolic abnormalities in the context of PCOS have created a need for a modified therapeutic management of affected women. Insulin sensitizers, particularly metformin, have been introduced as a pharmaceutical option targeting not only IR, but several other aspects of the syndrome, including reproductive abnormalities. The landscape of the multifaceted actions of metformin evolves to broaden the therapeutic implications of this old drug in a new fashion for patients with PCOS. Most recently, the spectrum of metformin's targets has been expanded, and molecular studies have explored the tissue-specific mechanisms of metformin in the liver, the muscle, the endothelium, and the ovary. The use of metformin in pregnant women with PCOS comprises another scarcely explored, but promising area of research. This review attempts to cover the spectrum of metformin's cellular actions in different tissues and to summarize the current literature regarding the potential medical value of this medication in PCOS. Even if many of these actions are individually modest, they seem to be collectively sufficient to confer therapeutic benefits not only in cardiometabolic aspects but also in reproductive aspects of PCOS.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with a clustering of metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors. Insulin resistance is implicated as the major player in the metabolic abnormalities and contributes to the increased cardiovascular risk associated with the syndrome. However, androgen excess appears to participate as an independent parameter, which further aggravates the cardiovascular and metabolic aberrations in affected women with PCOS. The resultant impact of hyperandrogenemia possibly acquires clinical significance for women's health in the context of PCOS, particularly since recent data support an increased incidence of coronary artery disease and of cardiovascular events directly related to androgen levels in women with the syndrome.

The metabolic syndrome (MS) and the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) appear to be interrelated, although they are distinct entities. Women with PCOS appear to be commonly affected by MS, while women with MS may display reproductive or endocrine features of PCOS. These clinical observations appear to be only partly attributable to the association of both syndromes with obesity and imply a reciprocal pathophysiologic relationship between PCOS and MS with potentially significant clinical sequelae. Adult women with MS are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease; women with PCOS also appear to carry such an increased risk in their postmenopausal life. Conversely, women with MS may experience reproductive disturbances, reminiscent of PCOS, more commonly than their counterparts from the general population. This review presented the current epidemiology of MS in adults and adolescents with PCOS, as well as the limited amount of data on the prevalence of features of PCOS among women with MS or MS features. We also discuss the potential pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the relationship between these interweaving, but distinct, syndromes. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2009;53(2):227-237. KeywordsPolycystic ovary syndrome; metabolic syndrome; epidemiology; pathophysiology RESUMO A síndrome metabólica (SM) e a síndrome dos ovários policísticos (SOP) parecem estar relacionadas, embora constituam duas diferentes entidades. Mulheres com SOP são comumente afetadas pela SM, enquanto mulheres com SM podem apresentar as características reprodutivas e hormonais típicas da SOP. Essas observações clínicas podem ser atribuídas apenas parcialmente à presença da obesidade em ambas as síndromes. Isso se deve a uma relação fisiopatológica recíproca com potenciais sequelas de grande significado clínico. Mulheres adultas com SM estão mais propensas ao desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares; mulheres com SOP também convivem com esse risco durante a pós-menopausa. Por outro lado, as mulheres com SM podem apresentar distúrbios reprodutivos, característicos da SOP, numa frequência maior do que as mulheres não portadoras de SM da população geral. Desse modo, este artigo de revisão abordou dados epidemiológicos atuais sobre a SM em adultos e adolescentes com SOP, bem como as informações, que são limitadas, sobre a prevalência de características da SOP em mulheres com SM ou com as características desta. Também foram discutidos os mecanismos fisiopatológicos fundamentais da relação entre essas duas síndromes interligadas, mas distintas. DescritoresSíndrome do ovário policístico; síndrome metabólica; epidemiologia; fisiopatologia

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In women with PCOS, the degree of anxiety, state and trait (STAI-S, STAI-T) appears to vary in a pattern similar to that of hyperandrogenemia and insulin resistance, independently of age and BMI. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the association of psychological morbidities with androgen excess and insulin resistance in PCOS remain to be elucidated.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 6.6-6.8% of women in reproductive age. Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia play a critical role in the pathogenesis of PCOS and are associated with a high risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiometabolic abnormalities. Metformin has been introduced as a therapeutic option in PCOS, targeting of cardiometabolic and reproductive abnormalities on the basis of its action on the reduction of glucose levels and the attenuation of insulin resistance. The tissue-specific actions of metformin as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in the liver, the muscle, the endothelium, and the ovary are elucidated in this review. The use of metformin in pregnant women with PCOS is another of its positive features. Overall, available data supports the therapeutic usefulness of metformin on cardiometabolic risk and reproduction assistance in PCOS women.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex syndrome of unclear etiopathogenesis characterized by heterogeneity in phenotypic manifestations. The clinical phenotype of PCOS includes reproductive and hormonal aberrations, namely anovulation and hyperandrogenism, which coexist with metabolic disturbances. Reflecting the crosstalk between the reproductive system and metabolic tissues, obesity not only deteriorates the metabolic profile but also aggravates ovulatory dysfunction and hyperandrogenism. Although the pathogenesis of PCOS remains unclear, the syndrome appears to involve environmental and genetic components. Starting from early life and extending throughout lifecycle, environmental insults may affect susceptible women who finally demonstrate the clinical phenotype of PCOS. Diet emerges as the major environmental determinant of PCOS. Overnutrition leading to obesity is widely recognized to have an aggravating impact, while another detrimental dietary factor may be the high content of food in advanced glycated end products (AGEs). Environmental exposure to industrial products, particularly Bisphenol A (BPA), may also exacerbate the clinical course of PCOS. AGEs and BPA may act as endocrine disruptors in the pathogenesis of the syndrome. PCOS appears to mirror the harmful influence of the modern environment on the reproductive and metabolic balance of inherently predisposed individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate liver enzymes in a cohort of women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and controls divided according to body mass index (BMI) and their association with features of the syndrome. DESIGN: Eighty-three PCOS women and 64 healthy women were studied. Patients and controls were subdivided into two groups, a lean subgroup (BMI <25kg/ m 2 ) and an overweight/obese subgroup (BMI >25kg/m 2 ). Clinical history, height and weight were obtained and metabolic and hormonal parameters were determined. RESULTS: Serum fasting insulin, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, triglycerides and total cholesterol were significantly higher (p<0.05) in women with PCOS compared to controls. No significant difference in serum liver enzymes levels between PCOS women and controls was detected. However, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (17.7 vs. 14.1 U/L, p<0.05) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γGT) (17.9 vs. 13.4 U/L, p<0.05) were significantly higher in overweight/obese PCOS women compared with overweight/obese controls. In overweight/obese PCOS patients and controls, ALT levels were positively correlated with free androgen index (FAI) (r=0.25 p<0.05) and total testosterone levels (r=0.33 p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The finding of elevated liver enzymes in overweight/obese PCOS women raises the question of screening for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in this group.Key words: Body Mass Index, Insulin resistance, Liver enzymes, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Research paper HORMONES 2009, 8(3):199-206 22,24 A significant elevation of aminotransferase levels (ALT and/or AST above 60 U/L) is highly likely to concur with the imaging finding of fatty infiltration in obese women with PCOS.22 Ultrasonographic evidence is more prevalent than the biochemical evidence of NAFLD in lean, overweight and obese PCOS women, 25 but the use of a lower cutoff for ALT may significantly increase the sensitivity of this marker in identifying mild NAFLD. 26Overall, existing evidence of NAFLD in PCOS women is still scarce and presents certain limitations. Of the available studies, only one included a control group. 24 Moreover, only one study included both lean and obese patients, 25 while the others either included only overweight/obese patients or did not subdivide patients according to BMI. 21,22 Additionally, serum levels of γGT were determined only in one of the available four studies. 25The aim of the present study was to investigate liver enzymes in a cohort of women with PCOS and controls divided according to BMI in order to explore a possible independent effect of PCOS and obesity on liver function and to uncover potential associations of serum liver enzymes with hormonal parameters and indices of insulin resistance.