[Relations of serum adipocyte fatty acid binding protein to sex hormone and lipoproteins in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of serum adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) level with sex hormone and lipoprotein in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 29 out-patients of PCOS patients, aged 31 +/- 3 with a body mass index (BMI) of (26 +/- 4) kg/m2, and 14 out-patients of infertility, aged (31 +/- 3), with a BMI of (21 +/- 2) kg/m2 as normal controls. ELISA was used to detect the serum FABP4. Serum prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and testosterone were assayed by chemoluminescence method. Serum androstenedione was assayed by radioimmunity method. And triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured by automatic biochemistry analyzer. The relations of FABP4 with sex hormone and lipoprotein in patients with PCOS were analyzed. RESULTS: The FABP4 level of the PCOS patients was (24 +/- 15) ng/ml, significantly higher than that of the controls (9 ng/ml +/- 8 ng/ml, P = 0.000). There were no significant differences in serum prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and testosterone between the 2 groups. Univariate analysis revealed that serum FABP4 level was significantly positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.621, P = 0.000) and testosterone (r = 0.658, P = 0.016), and significantly negatively correlated with HDL-C (r = -0.331, P = 0.030). Partial correlation analysis showed that serum FABP4 level was significantly positively correlated with testosterone (r = 0.507, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: The increase of serum FABP4 in the PCOS patients may be correlated with the high androgen level. FABP4 is likely to participate in the lipid metabolic.