Altered leptin, adiponectin, resistin and ghrelin secretion may represent an intrinsic polycystic ovary syndrome abnormality

Figures & data

Table 1. Clinical, hormonal and metabolic characteristics of women with PCOS and the healthy control group.

	Total			Normal weight			Overweight
	PCOS (N = 151)	Control (N = 95)	p	PCOS (N = 97)	Control (N = 77)	p	PCOS (N = 54)	Control (N = 18)	p
Age (years)	26.5 ± 6.0	26.4 ± 2.7	.849	26.4 ± 5.9	26.4 ± 2.7	.969	26.7 ± 6.1	26.3 ± 2.6	.689
BMI (kg/m^2)	24.8 ± 4.8	23.3 ± 4.1	.013	22.4 ± 1.7	21.8 ± 1.8	.042	29.1 ± 5.4	29.6 ± 5.3	.755
WHR	0.79 ± 0.08	0.79 ± 0.07	.880	0.77±.07	0.78 ± 0.08	.200	0.83 ± 0.09	0.83 ± 0.08	.912
FSH (IU/L)	3.64 ± 1.24	5.5 ± 1.6	<.001	3.7 ± 1.2	5.5 ± 1.6	<.001	3.5 ± 1.3	5.5 ± 1.9	<.001
LH (IU/L)	8.5 ± 4.1	3.9 ± 1.1	<.001	9.2 ± 4.7	4.0 ± 1.1	<.001	7.2 ± 2.5	3.6 ± 1.0	<.001
TT (nmol/L)	2.3 ± 1.0	1.2 ± 0.4	<.001	2.3 ± 0.9	1.2 ± 0.4	<.001	2.3 ± 1.2	1.3 ± 0.5	<.001
FT (pmol/L)	42.7 ± 25.1	14.3 ± 6.8	<.001	40.7 ± 22.5	14.2 ± 6.9	<.001	46.2 ± 29.0	14.8 ± 6.5	<.001
Androstenedione (nmol/L)	10.9 ± 4.5	n/a	n/a	11.1 ± 4.9	n/a	n/a	10.4 ± 3.6	n/a	n/a
DHEAS (nmol/L)	6.6 ± 2.5	n/a	n/a	6.6 ± 2.5	n/a	n/a	6.7 ± 2.6	n/a	n/a
SHBG (nmol/L)	43.4 ± 31.1	71.1 ± 21.7	<.001	47.7 ± 33.8	71.4 ± 22.0	<.001	35.9 ± 4.4	69.9 ± 21.0	<.001
HOMA-IR	2.7 ± 3.0	1.3 ± 0.5	<.001	2.2 ± 2.2	1.3 ± 0.6	<.001	3.4 ± 4.0	1.4 ± 0.4	.001
HOMA-IR >2.5 (%)	29.1	4.2	<.001	21.6	5.2	.002	42.6	0	<.001
Total cholesterol (nmol/L)	4.5 ± 0.4	4.3 ± 0.4	<.001	4.4 ± 0.4	4.2 ± 0.3	<.001	4.7 ± 0.3	4.6 ± 0.3	.179
Triglycerides (nmol/L)	1.7 ± 0.2	1.4 ± 0.4	<.001	1.3 ± 0.4	1.7 ± 0.2	<.001	1.7 ± 0.3	1.6 ± 0.2	.171
HDL-C (nmol/L)	1.5 ± 0.3	2.1 ± 0.3	<.001	1.5 ± 0.2	2.0 ± 0.3	<.001	1.4 ± 0.2	2.3 ± 0.3	<.001
LDL-C (nmol/L)	2.4 ± 0.5	1.4 ± 0.2	<.001	2.3 ± 0.5	1.4 ± 0.1	<.001	2.6 ± 0.4	1.6 ± 0.4	<.001
CRP (mg/L)	2.1 ± 0.5	1.5 ± 0.6	<.001	2.1 ± 0.5	1.4 ± 0.6	<.001	2.2 ± 0.5	1.8 ± 0.6	.002
Leptin (ng/mL)	10.5 ± 1.3	7.7 ± 1.3	<.001	10.5 ± 1.3	7.7 ± 1.3	<.001	12.5 ± 1.4	11.5 ± 1.0	.007
Adiponectin (ng/mL)	9.5 ± 1.3	13.9 ± 1.3	<.001	9.5 ± 1.3	13.9 ± 1.3	<.001	8.4 ± 1.9	12.1 ± 1.5	<.001
Resistin (ng/mL)	11.4 ± 1.9	8.5 ± 1.2	<.001	11.4 ± 1.9	8.5 ± 1.2	<.001	13.3 ± 2.5	11.3 ± 1.7	.002
Ghrelin (pg/mL)	1279.1 ± 151.5	1775 ± 174.1	<.001	1279.1 ± 151.5	1775.8 ± 174.1	<.001	971.5 ± 167.4	1325.4 ± 79.2	<.001

Values are expressed as means ± SD.

BMI: body mass index; WHR: waist-to-hip ratio; FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone; LH: luteinizing hormone; TT: total testosterone; FT: free testosterone; DHEAS: dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate; HOMA-IR: homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; CRP: C-reactive protein.

Table 2. Associations of different clinical, hormonal and metabolic parameters with serum leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and ghrelin levels in PCOS patients and controls.

	PCOS				Control
	Leptin	Adiponectin	Ghrelin	Resistin	Leptin	Adiponectin	Ghrelin	Resistin
BMI (kg/m^2)	0.614**	–0.560**	–0.674**	0.486**	0.877**	–0.756**	–0.809**	0.901**
WHR	0.305**	–0.123	–0.307**	0.135	0.350**	–0.327**	–0.369**	0.362**
FSH (IU/L)	–0.052	0.054	0.111	–0.048	–0.090	0.078	0.113	–0.060
LH (IU/L)	–0.223**	0.051	0.188*	–0.055	–0.114	0.097	0.150	–0.108
TT (nmol/L)	–0.092	–0.036	0.013	–0.020	–0.039	–0.005	–0.062	0.023
FT (pmol/L)	–0.007	–0.053	–0.038	–0.045	–0.041	0.001	–0.062	–0.022
Androstenedione (nmol/L)	–0.110	0.030	0.002	–0.002	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
DHEAS (nmol/L)	0.143	–0.166*	–0.099	0.157	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
SHBG (nmol/L)	–0.136	0.075	0.136	0.006	0.060	–0.056	0.004	0.058
HOMA-IR	0.207*	–0.034	–0.199*	0.136	0.010	0.109	–0.086	–0.029
Total cholesterol (nmol/L)	0.325**	–0.225**	–0.342**	0.363**	0.427**	–0.266**	–0.371**	0.416**
Triglycerides (nmol/L)	0.380**	–0.311**	–0.504**	0.252**	–0.275**	0.284**	–0.332**	–0.211*
HDL-C (nmol/L)	–0.182*	0.132	0.311**	–0.175*	0.368**	–0.213*	0.350**	0.258*
LDL-C (nmol/L)	0.206*	–0.128	–0.243**	0.278**	0.249*	–0.217*	–0.201	0.374**
CRP (mg/L)	–0.036	0.026	–0.107	0.145	0.230*	–0.177	–0.226*	0.269**

BMI: body mass index; WHR: waist-to-hip ratio; FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone; LH: luteinizing hormone; TT: total testosterone; FT: free testosterone; DHEAS: dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate; HOMA-IR: homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; CRP: C-reactive protein.

**p < .001; *p < .05.

Table 3. Stepwise multiple regression models with leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, and resistin as dependent variables.

	B-coefficient	p
Leptin (R^2=0.705)
BMI	0.552	<.001
PCOS	–0.581	<.001
TT	–0.105	.012
WHR	0.092	.013
Adiponectin (R^2=0.779)
BMI	–0.382	<.001
PCOS	0.738	<.001
Ghrelin (R^2=0.796)
BMI	–0.453	<.001
PCOS	0.660	<.001
WHR	–0.083	.007
HOMA-IR	–0.069	.024
Resistin (R^2=0.590)
BMI	0.513	<.001
PCOS	–0.571	<.001
FT	–0.120	.019

Only variables that contributed to the model are presented here.

BMI: body mass index; PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome; WHR: waist-to-hip ratio; FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone; TT: total testosterone; FT: free testosterone; HOMA-IR: homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome.