The serum level of irisin, but not asprosin, is abnormal in polycystic ovary syndrome patients

Chia Lin Chang,Ya Chiung Hsu,Shang Yu Huang,Yung Kuei Soong,Tzu Hsuan Chin

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42061-9

Chia Lin Chang, Ya Chiung Hsu + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42061-9

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Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, oligo- or anovulation, and/or polycystic ovary. It frequently presents with dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. Recent studies have shown that the white adipose tissue-derived asprosin is elevated in humans with insulin resistance. Because many PCOS patients have a propensity to develop dyslipidemia and/or insulin resistance, asprosin metabolism could be dysregulated in PCOS patients. Accordingly, we investigated serum levels of asprosin, irisin, GIP, androgens, LH, glucose, insulin, and lipids as well as HOMA-IR, QUICKI and ISI Matsuda in a cohort of 444 PCOS patients and 156 controls. Patients were stratified based on metabolic syndrome risk factors (ATPIII [+] and [−] groups), or BMI (overweight and lean groups). The irisin level was significantly correlated with body weight, SBP, DBP, Ferriman–Gallwey score, and levels of TSH, triglycerides, glucose and insulin in the overall population, and was elevated in ATPIII(+) and overweight PCOS patients compared to corresponding controls. By contrast, asprosin levels in PCOS, ATPIII(+), or overweight patients were similar to those of corresponding controls. This finding indicated that the regulation of irisin, but not asprosin, metabolism is abnormal in PCOS patients, and this metabolic characteristic is distinctly different from that of diabetes patients.

Highlights

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine abnormality of reproductive-age women worldwide[1,2,3]
Irisin and a variety of metabolic indicators were analyzed in a total of 444 PCOS patients and 156 healthy women who were recruited over a 7-year period (2010–2016)
Measurements of body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), body adiposity index (BAI), lean body weight (LBW), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), WC/HC ratio, and the Ferriman– Gallwey score (F-M score) showed these parameters of PCOS patients were significantly higher than were those of control women

Summary

Introduction

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine abnormality of reproductive-age women worldwide[1,2,3]. We and others have shown that the circulating level of irisin, a newly discovered muscle-derived brown adipose-differentiation factor, is significantly elevated in PCOS patients[15,16] This finding suggested that, in addition to androgenism and hypersinsulinemia, abnormal regulation of nutritionally responsive hormones such as irisin could contribute to the manifestation of PCOS. Blockage of asprosin signaling has a profound glucose- and insulin-lowering effect, suggesting that aberrant regulation of asprosin may contribute to the development of select metabolic diseases, whereas a reduction of asprosin level could be useful for protecting against hyperinsulinism Based on these recent findings, we hypothesized that abnormal regulation of asprosin could be associated with the manifestation of PCOS. Further examine the hypothesis that irisin is a potential PCOS biomarker, we analyzed serum levels of these hormones in a large cohort of PCOS patients and controls as well as their relationships with select metabolic and endocrine parameters

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