Evaluation of insulin resistance and oxidative stress in obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patient with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are known to have high incidence of Insulin Resistance (IR) and oxidative stress and most of the patients are obese. The aim of this study was to evaluate the insulin resistance and oxidative stress in obese PCOS patients. METHODS: 104 obese patients with PCOS [BMI ≥23 Kg/m2] and 95 healthy control subjects were included in this study. Plasma sex steroid hormones, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, were measured in both the groups. Oral glucose tolerance test was also performed. Total antioxidant status (TAS), malonyldialdehyde (MDH), protein carbonylation (PC), erythrocyte reduced gluthathione (GSH) and antioxidant enzymes like erythrocyte catalase and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were measured. Insulin resistance was evaluated by using homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and fasting glucose / fasting insulin ratio (fasting GI ratio). RESULTS: Compared with healthy women, those with obese PCOS had significantly elevated HOMA-IR, plasma MDA, protein carbonylation, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity and significantly decreased QUICKI, fasting GI ratio, plasma TAS, GSH, catalase activity. CONCLUSION: The result of the present study indicates, high level of insulin resistance and significantly increased oxidative stress were observed in obese PCOS patients when compared with controls.