Serum Fetuin-A levels are increased and associated with insulin resistance in  women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is a common characteristic of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It has been reported that circulating Fetuin-A levels were associated with IR and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, previous reports were inconsistent.Methods: 207 subjects were screened for PCOS according to the diagnostic guideline of the Rotterdam consensus criterion. Serum Fetuin-A levels were measured using an ELISA kit. An independent t-test or Nonparametric test was used to detect differences between PCOS and control groups.Spearman's correlation analysis was used to examine the association of the serum Fetuin-A with other parameters.Results: Our findings showed that circulating Fetuin-A concentration ranged from 196.6 to 418.2 µg/L for most women without PCOS (95 %). Women with PCOS had higher circulating Fetuin-A levels than healthy women (437.9 ± 119.3 vs. 313.8 ± 60.5 μg/L; p < 0.01). Serum Fetuin-A was positively correlated with BMI, WHR, TG, TC, LDL-C, HOMA-IR, LH, T, and DHEA-S. Multivariate regression analysis showed that WHR, TG, HOMA-IR, and DHEA-S were independent predictors of the levels of circulating Fetuin-A. Binary logistic regression revealed that serum Fetuin-A was associated with the occurrence of PCOS. In addition, our ROC curve analysis found that the cutoff values for Fetuin-A to predict PCOS and IR were 366.3 and 412.6 µg/L. Conclusion: Blood Fetuin-A may be a useful biomarker for screening women for PCOS and IR. BackgroundPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine, metabolic diseases in adolescent women. It has three main characteristics: oligo or amenorrhea (OA), hyperandrogenism (HA), and/or clinical manifestations of HA, polycystic ovary (PCO), and most cases are accompanied by obesity and other metabolic disorders. In addition to symptoms caused by hyperandrogenism and reproductive disorders, increasing evidence supports the central role of insulin resistance (IR) and compensatory hyperinsulinemia in the pathogenesis of the PCOS [1]. Furthermore, women with PCOS have an increased risk of developing other metabolic diseases, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, chronic inflammation, metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), atherosclerosis, and

Evaluation of the relationship between Fetuin-A level and some biochemical variables in women with PCOS

“…The results also showed a significant increase in the level of Fetuin-A in women with PCOS, and that the cause of the rise may be attributed to metabolic disorders resulting from hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia, which may enhance the synthesis and release of Fetuin-A in vivo, in addition to, the increase in Fetuin-A can be derived at least in part from the low-grade inflammatory state, in which inflammatory cytokines such as CRP are increased in women with PCOS (21) . The lipid concentrations (TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL) were estimated in the blood sera of PCOS and healthy women, and the mean ± standard deviation of lipids was shown in Table (2).…”

Dynamic Changes in Circulating Endocrine FGF19 Subfamily and Fetuin-A in Response to Intralipid and Insulin Infusions in Healthy and PCOS Women

“…Previous studies have shown differences in circulating levels of endocrine FGFs ( 13 , 14 ) and fetuin-A ( 15 ) in PCOS women. FsGF21 and fetuin-A were reported to be elevated and FGF19 was found to be lower in PCOS women compared to healthy controls ( 13 – 15 ).…”

“…Previous studies have shown differences in circulating levels of endocrine FGFs ( 13 , 14 ) and fetuin-A ( 15 ) in PCOS women. FsGF21 and fetuin-A were reported to be elevated and FGF19 was found to be lower in PCOS women compared to healthy controls ( 13 – 15 ). Acute intralipid administration elevates circulating free fatty acid (FFA) and triglycerides, decreases peripheral glucose uptake resulting in increased insulin resistance ( 16 – 18 ).…”