Lipid and lipoprotein profile in women with polycystic ovary syndromeThis article is one of a selection of papers published in the special issue Bridging the Gap: Where Progress in Cardiovascular and Neurophysiologic Research Meet.

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder characterized by obesity-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The objective of our study was to determine values of key lipid and lipoprotein fractions in PCOS, and their possible relation to insulin resistance. A total of 75 women with PCOS (aged 23.1 +/- 5.1 years, BMI 24.9 +/- 4.7 kg/m(2)), and 56 age- and BMI-matched controls were investigated. In all subjects, basal glucose, cholesterol (total, HDL, and LDL), oxidized LDL (OxLDL), triglycerides, apolipoprotein (apo)A1, apoB, and apoE, nonesterified fatty acids, insulin, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, and free androgen index were determined in the follicular phase of the cycle. PCOS patients compared with controls had increased indices of insulin resistance, basal insulin (p < 0.001), and HOMA index (p < 0.001), and worsened insulin resistance-related dyslipidemia with decreased HDL cholesterol (p < 0.01), elevated triglycerides (p = 0.010), and pronounced LDL oxidation (p < 0.001). In conclusion, characteristic dyslipidemia of insulin resistance and unfavorable proatherogenic lipoprotein ratios were present only in women with PCOS and not in controls. Elevated OxLDL and the relation of apoE and nonesterified fatty acids with insulin resistance suggest that women with PCOS are at increased risk for premature atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular disease markers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome with emphasis on asymmetric dimethylarginine and homocysteine

“…As expected, in our study, we observed a significant increase in total cholesterol, LDL-C, and TG and a reduction in HDL-C in women with PCOS. Our results are in accordance with recent studies by Macut et al19 and Valkenburg et al20 who reported that lipid profile parameters were increased in patients with PCOS, suggesting that women with PCOS have a higher risk for CVD.…”

“…Our study confirms a positive association between these parameters and both IR and free androgen index. These findings are consistent with the results of several recent investigations 2719. Hyperinsulinemia is a predictor of coronary artery disease, and IR has been proposed as a key factor linking linked to hypertension, glucose intolerance, obesity, lipid abnormalities, and coronary heart disease 4.…”

A clinical study on the short-term effect of berberine in comparison to metformin on the metabolic characteristics of women with polycystic ovary syndrome

“…Insulin resistance (IR) is known to play a critical role in the pathophysiology of PCOS (6,7). The administration of insulin sensitizer metformin (MET) is recognized as a successful treatment for many metabolic and reproductive dysregulations characteristic of women with PCOS (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”

Metabolomics Reveals Reduction of Metabolic Oxidation in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome after Pioglitazone-Flutamide-Metformin Polytherapy

“…Previous reports have evidenced that the PCOS phenotype can also concur with primary alterations of lipid metabolism involving increased levels of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) particles [4], [5], [6]. Accordingly, PCOS may accelerate the development of a cardiovascular-risk profile even in the absence of clinical signs of atherosclerosis.…”