Background: The present study was designed to measure plasma visfatin levels in normal weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to assess possible correlations between visfatin and the hormonal or metabolic parameters of the syndrome.
Methods: Twenty-five normal weight [body mass index (BMI)<25 kg/m(2)] women with PCOS, 24 obese and overweight (BMI>25 kg/m(2)) controls (ovulating women without clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism), and 24 normal weight controls were studied. Blood samples were collected between the 3rd and the 7th days of a menstrual cycle in the control groups and during a spontaneous bleeding episode in the PCOS groups at 9:00 A.M., after an overnight fast. Circulating levels of LH, FSH, prolactin (PRL), testosterone (T), Delta(4)-androstenedione (Delta(4)-Alpha), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), 17alpha-OH-progesterone (17OH-P), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), insulin, glucose, and visfatin were measured.
Results: Plasma visfatin levels and the visfatin-to-insulin ratio were significantly lower in normal weight controls than in both normal weight women with PCOS and overweight or obese controls. The visfatin-to-insulin ratio was significantly higher in normal weight women with PCOS than in overweight or obese controls. Plasma visfatin levels were found to be positively correlated with LH and Delta(4)A levels, as well as with free androgen index (FAI) values, and negatively correlated with SHBG. LH and SHBG levels were found to be the only independent significant determinants of circulating visfatin. In the control groups, plasma visfatin levels were significantly correlated with BMI, waist (W) measurement, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).
Conclusions: Visfatin levels are positively associated with obesity in healthy women of reproductive age. Moreover, the present study indicates, for the first time, a possible involvement of increased visfatin levels in PCOS-associated metabolic and hormonal disturbances.