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Endocrine Abstracts (2021) 73 PEP4.2 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.73.PEP4.2

ECE2021 Presented Eposters Presented ePosters 4: Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology (8 abstracts)

Immunological and inflammatory biomarkers in non-obese patients affected by PCOS, correlation between hormonal and metabolic parameters: preliminary data

Carmine Bruno 1 , Edoardo Vergani 1 , Cecilia Napodano 2 , Krizia Pocino 2 , Annunziata Stefanile 2 , Francesca Gulli 2 , Alessandro Oliva 1 , Umberto Basile 2 & Antonio Mancini 1


1Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome – Italy; 2Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Dipartimento di Scienze biotecnologiche di base, cliniche intensivologiche e peri-operatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome – Italy


Objective

Policystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a multifactorial disease characterized by reproductive and metabolic impairments. PCOS patients could present anovulation, hirsutism and infertility as well as higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome, glucose intolerance and diabetes. Insulin-resistance (IR) together with hyperandrogenism represent the main players, with reciprocal influences in a vicious circle: insulin promotes androgen secretion in thecal cells and hyperandrogenism has been related to adipose tissue dysfunction that lead to IR and hyperinsulinemia. Both factors contribute to create in PCOS patients a state of chronic low-grade inflammation (LGI), which may have an important role in the physiopathology of the disease; however, it is predominantly evaluated in obese PCOS. Therefore, we performed an observational case–control study to investigate inflammatory and immunological parameters, such as IgG subclasses and free light chains (FLCs) and hemolytic complement activity (CH50) in non-obese PCOS, evaluating their relations with metabolic and hormonal parameters.

Methods

36 subjects were studied: 16 PCOS patients (mean ± s.e.m. 27.13 ± 1.82 age; BMI 24.1±0.9 kg/m2); 20 controls (aged 26.05 ± 0.73). Blood sample was collected for metabolic and hormonal parameters, IgG subclasses, k and λ FLCs, CH50. Hormones were measured by immunochemiluminometric assays; Metabolic parameters by enzymatic assays; subclasses of IgG, FLCs and CH50 were evaluated by turbidimetric method.

Results

PCOS patients showed significant lower IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 compared with controls (mean ± s.e.m. 3.76 ± 0.29 g/l, 2.63 ± 0.20, 0.62 ± 0.06, 0.34 ± 0.08 vs 6.49 ± 0.35, 4.28 ± 0.25, 0.84 ± 0.07, 0.33 ± 0.04, respectively) and higher levels of FLCs (k 12.22 ± 0.71 vs 6.03 ± 0.30, λ 10.10 ± 0.79 vs 8.04 ± 0.48 g/l) and CH50 (48.64 ± 2.65 vs 36.51 ± 1.38 U/ml); we found correlation between IgG2 and free-testosterone (r = 0.72, P = 0.005) and CH50 and vitamin D (r = 0.54, P = 0.04); an inverse correlation was found between IgG1 and, respectively, ACTH (r = -0.57, P = 0.02) and cortisol (r = 0.78, P = 0.001) in PCOS.

Conclusions

In the complex scenario of low-grade inflammation in non-obese PCOS, we showed lower levels of main subclasses of IgG and higher CH50 levels, suggesting involvement of other mechanisms other than “classical” pathway of complement activation; FLCs could be attractive to monitor inflammation degree, disease activity and influence on hormonal status.

Volume 73

European Congress of Endocrinology 2021

Online
22 May 2021 - 26 May 2021

European Society of Endocrinology 

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