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. 2019 Jun 1;8(6):709-717.
doi: 10.1530/EC-19-0116.

Serum retinol-binding protein 4 levels in polycystic ovary syndrome

Shilpa Lingaiah  1 , Laure Morin-Papunen  1 , Terhi Piltonen  1 , Inger Sundström-Poromaa  2 , Elisabet Stener-Victorin  3 , Juha S Tapanainen  1   4
Affiliations

Serum retinol-binding protein 4 levels in polycystic ovary syndrome

Shilpa Lingaiah et al. Endocr Connect. .

Abstract

Objective: Serum levels of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), an adipokine thought to affect systemic insulin sensitivity, were compared between women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and non-PCOS controls to evaluate the association of RBP4 with clinical, hormonal and metabolic parameters of PCOS.

Subjects and methods: Serum RBP4 levels were analysed in 278 women with PCOS (age range 18-57 years) and 191 non-PCOS controls (age 20-53 years) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: Serum levels of RBP4 were increased in women with PCOS compared with control women in the whole population (45.1 ± 24.0 (s.d.) vs 33.5 ± 18.3 mg/L, P < 0.001). Age-stratified analysis showed that serum RBP4 levels were increased in women with PCOS aged ≤30 years compared with controls (47.7 ± 23.5 vs 27.1 ± 10.4 mg/L, P < 0.001), whereas no significant differences were seen in the other age groups. No significant correlations of RBP4 were seen with either steroids or indices of insulin resistance.

Conclusions: Although serum RBP4 levels were increased in younger women with PCOS compared with age-matched non-PCOS controls, RBP4 does not seem to be a good marker of insulin resistance or other metabolic derangements in women with PCOS.

Keywords: adipokines; polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4).

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Concentrations of serum RBP4 in control women and in women with polycystic ovary syndrome in different age groups. The bars represent means and the error bars standard deviation. n denotes the number of subjects. *P < 0.001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Concentrations of serum RBP4 in control women and in women with polycystic ovary syndrome in different BMI groups. The bars represent means and the error bars standard deviation. BMI in kg/m2. n denotes the number of subjects.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Concentrations of serum RBP4 in control women and in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. The bars represent means and the error bars standard deviation. n denotes the number of subjects. *P < 0.001, **P < 0.05. (A) women with PCOS with different phenotypes; (B) normoandrogenic (NA) and hyperandrogenic (HA) women with PCOS; (C) normal glucose tolerant (NGT) subjects; (D) impaired fasting glucose (IFG)/impaired glucose tolerant (IGT) subjects.
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