Do serum hepassocin levels change in women with polycystic ovary syndrome?

Background: Insulin resistance is common in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), especially in obese patients. Hepassocin is a peptid marker which increases in obesity and insulin resistance. Objective: We aimed to investigate hepassocin levels in patients with PCOS in this study. Methods: This prospective case-control study was conducted with a total of 60 patients with PCOS and age-matched 30 healthy women with body mass index < 30. Patients with PCOS were classified as obese PCOS and non-obese PCOS according to their BMI. Hepassocin levels were measured by using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. A multivariate linear regression analysis was used to determine independent factors related to hepassocin levels. Results: Hepassocin levels of the obese-PCOS group were found significantly higher than non-obese PCOS and control group (6.95 +/- 3.59, 2.69 +/- 2.51, 2.66 +/- 2.22, respectively, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in hepassocin levels between control and non-obese PCOS group (p = 0.99). Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was independently associated with hepassocin concentrations after adjusting for age, low density lipoprotein C (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein C (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and C reactive protein (CRP). Conclusion: Obese patients with PCOS exhibited high serum levels of hepassocin. HOMA-IR index was found as the independent variable associated with high levels of hepassocin. Hepassocin can be used as a simple and easy way of detecting insulin resistance in obese patients with PCOS. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.