Visfatin and SREBP-1c mRNA Expressions and Serum Levels Among Egyptian Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Relationship between serum apelin, visfatin levels, and body composition in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome patients

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between body composition and serum visfatin and apelin levels in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHODS

In this prospective observational study, the differences in body composition, levels of gonadal hormone concentrations, glucose metabolism, apelin, and visfatin were compared between PCOS patients and the control group. PCOS patients were further divided into different subgroups according to different obesity criteria and the differences between serum visfatin and apelin levels in different subgroups were compared. Finally, the correlation of serum visfatin levels and apelin levels with body composition, and metabolism-related indicators in PCOS patients was explored.

RESULTS

A total collected 178 cases of PCOS patients and 172 cases of healthy women (control group) between 2020 July and 2021 November. In PCOS patients, their weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Hip Rate (WHR), Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI), Percent Body Fat (PBF), Fat mass index (FMI), PBF of Arm, PBF of Leg, PBF of the Trunk, Visceral Fat Level (VFL), fasting insulin (FINS), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and Luteinizing hormone (LH) were significantly higher than in the control group (all P < 0.001), Percent Skeletal Muscle (PSM), PSM of Leg, and PSM of the Trunk were significantly decreased than in the control group (all P < 0.001). The PCOS patients had significantly higher serum visfatin levels and apelin levels compared with the control group (all P < 0.001). In PBF > 35 % PCOS patients, the apelin and visfatin levels were significantly higher than the PBF ≤ 35 % PCOS patients. In WHR ≥ 0.85 and BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 PCOS patients, the visfatin levels were significantly higher than the WHR < 0.85 and BMI < 24 kg/m2 PCOS patients. Serum apelin and visfatin positively correlated with BMI level, WHR, FFMI, PBF, FMI, PBF of arms, PBF of legs, PBF of the trunk, VFL, FBG, HOMA-IR index and negatively correlated with PSM, PSM of legs, and PSM of the trunk (all P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with healthy women, Patients with PCOS have an increased fat content in various parts of the body, reduced skeletal muscle content, and are often complicated by metabolic abnormalities. Serum visfatin and apelin correlated not only with obesity, fat mass, and fat distribution but also with muscle mass and distribution. It may be possible to reduce the long-term risk of metabolic disease in PCOS through the monitoring and management of the body composition in PCOS patients or to reflect the therapeutic effect of PCOS.

Metabolic characteristics of obese patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Though recent studies have pointed out different manifestations between obese and nonobese patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), there is no clear evidence to confirm this viewpoint. Therefore, the metabolic characteristics of obese and nonobese patients with PCOS were systematically compared through meta-analysis in this study.

METHODS

Data were searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang databases. Articles on obese and nonobese patients with PCOS published from database inception to January 2022 were included. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16.0 statistical software.

RESULTS

A total of 739 articles were initially retrieved, and ultimately 14 studies were involved in the meta-analysis. Specifically, there were 801 patients in the observation group (obese patients with PCOS) and 925 patients in the control group (nonobese patients with PCOS). Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly lower levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between the two groups in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), glucose, and testosterone.

CONCLUSION

Compared with nonobese patients with PCOS, obese patients with PCOS have worse blood lipid parameters and lower levels of LH and FSH. Also, there are significant differences in metabolic characteristics between the two groups of patients. Most importantly, our findings provide guidance for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of PCOS.

Role of visfatin in obesity-induced insulin resistance

The growing worldwide burden of insulin resistance (IR) emphasizes the importance of early identification for improved management. Obesity, particularly visceral obesity, has been a key contributing factor in the development of IR. The obesity-associated chronic inflammatory state contributes to the development of obesity-related comorbidities, including IR. Adipocytokines, which are released by adipose tissue, have been investigated as possible indicators of IR. Visfatin was one of the adipocytokines that attracted attention due to its insulin-mimetic activity. It is released from a variety of sources, including visceral fat and macrophages, and it influences glucose metabolism and increases inflammation. The relationship between visfatin and IR in obesity is debatable. As a result, the purpose of this review was to better understand the role of visfatin in glucose homeostasis and to review the literature on the association between visfatin levels and IR, cardiovascular diseases, and renal diseases in obesity.

The Complex Roles of Adipokines in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Endometriosis

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis are frequent diseases of the female reproductive tract causing high morbidity as they can significantly affect fertility and quality of life. Adipokines are pleiotropic signaling molecules secreted by white or brown adipose tissues with a central role in energy metabolism. More recently, their involvement in PCOS and endometriosis has been demonstrated. In this review article, we provide an update on the role of adipokines in both diseases and summarize previous findings. We also address the results of multi-omics approaches in adipokine research to examine the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes coding for adipokines and their receptors, the secretome of adipocytes and to identify epigenetic alterations of adipokine genes that might be conferred from mother to child. Finally, we address novel data on the role of brown adipose tissue (BAT), which seems to have notable effects on PCOS. For this review, original research articles on adipokine actions in PCOS and endometriosis are considered, which are listed in the PubMed database.