The role of adiponectin in PCO: A Systematic Review

Background: Obesity is often observed in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This syndrome presents both fertility and metabolic disorders, which affects 5–10% of women of reproductive age. It is a heterogeneous syndrome with the characteristics of hirsutism, acne, anovulation, hyperandrogenemia, polycystic ovaries, infertility. Indeed, the adipose tissue is a site of production of not only steroid hormones but also adipocytokines. Obesity modifies the tissue and/or plasma expression profiles. Adiponectin is a member of adipocytokines and adiponectin functions as an insulin-sensitizing agent. In this review, we will discuss the potential role of adiponectin in PCOS.Methods: PubMed, Google scholar and Web of Science databases up to February 2017 were searched to select studies on the role of adiponectin in PCOS.Result: Some studies observed no difference in adiponectin levels between PCOS women and normal weight-matched control subjects, whereas other studies showed lower adiponectin levels in PCOS women. Meta-analyses of these studies, in combination with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) supported the conclusion that adiponectin levels were lower in women with PCOS. Furthermore, adiponectin levels were lower in obese PCOS women compared with non-PCOS obese women. Adiponectin levels were related to insulin sensitivity: The more insulin-resistant patients had lower adiponectin levels.Conclusion: Although the profile of adiponectin is still unknown in PCOS due to the conflicting data, the dysregulated adiponectin levels in PCOS patients suggest that adiponectin contribute to the pathology of PCOS.

کلیدواژه ها:

Infertility ، Insulin-resistant ، Obesity ، PCOS ، Adiponectin