Obstet Gynecol Sci.  2019 Nov;62(6):420-428. 10.5468/ogs.2019.62.6.420.

Association of serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and thrombospondin-1 to body mass index in polycystic ovary syndrome: a case-control study

• Tahergorabi Z
• Salmani F
• Jonaidabad SH
• Behdani B
• Yazdi P
• Zardast M
• Moodi M

• KMID: 2462120
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2019.62.6.420

Abstract

PURPOSE
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a gynecological endocrine disorder that is characterized by disturbances in ovarian blood flow and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) serum levels with the body mass index (BMI) in patients with PCOS compared with healthy subjects.
METHODS
The study was conducted with 80 subjects in 3 PCOS groups, including normal weight, overweight, and obese PCOS groups, and a control group of healthy subjects (n=20). The participants in all groups completed a questionnaire comprising sociodemographic and obstetric questions. The PCOS diagnosis in the study subjects was confirmed based on the Rotterdam criteria, BMI was determined according to the World Health Organization guidelines, and the lipid accumulation product index was calculated for all groups. Venous blood samples were collected from all participants after fasting to measure the serum levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipids, insulin, VEGF, TSP-1, and leptin.
RESULTS
Our findings showed that the serum VEGF level was significantly higher in the normal BMI PCOS group than that in the control group (P=0.03), and the TSP-1 level was significantly lower in the obese PCOS group than that in the control group (P=0.04).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that alterations in VEGF and TSP-1 concentrations are dependent on BMI. Because abnormal ovarian angiogenesis is considered to be the main feature of PCOS, the study of ovarian angiogenic imbalance is proposed as a new tool for PCOS diagnosis and management.

Keyword

Body mass index; Polycystic ovarian syndrome; Thrombospondin-1; Vascular endothelial growth factor

MeSH Terms

Blood Glucose
Body Mass Index*
Case-Control Studies*
Diagnosis
Fasting
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Insulin
Leptin
Lipid Accumulation Product
Overweight
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome*
Thrombospondin 1
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*
World Health Organization
Blood Glucose
Insulin
Leptin
Thrombospondin 1
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Comparison of the plasma VEGF levels in the normal BMI PCOS group and the control group. VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; BMI, body mass index; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome.

• 

  Fig. 2 Comparison of the plasma TSP-1 levels in the obese BMI PCOS group and the control group. TSP-1, thrombospondin-1; BMI, body mass index; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome.

• 

  Fig. 3 The diagnostic values of logistic model for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and control group. (A) Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for PCOS and control group with final model. (B) True positive (TP), true negative (TN), false positive (FP), false negative (FN) for PCOS and control group. AUC, area under the curve.

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