Influence of obesity on soluble endoglin and transforming growth factor β1 in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

• Published in: Middle East Fertility Society journal Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 418 - 424
• Main Authors: Rashad, Nearmeen M., Amin, Abdelaziz I., Ali, Ayman E., Soliman, Manar H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2018; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Obesity; PCOS; Soluble endoglin; TGF-β1; Obesity; TGF-β1; PCOS; Soluble endoglin
• ISSN: 1110-5690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mefs.2018.07.003

Chronic low-grade inflammation is a common feature of obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). There is dysregulation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in women with PCOS, soluble endoglin (sEng) is a non-signaling coreceptor of the TGF-β modulating its responses. We aimed for the first time to investigate the impact of obesity on sEng and TGF-β1 in women with PCOS. Case control study enrolled seventy patients diagnosed with PCOS and50 control group. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and sEng levels were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results revealed that, PCOS patients had higher values of TGF-β1 and lower levels of sEng. Among both control and PCOS patients, obese subjects had higher values of TGF-β1 and lower levels of sEng. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis revealed that, the power of sEng was more sensitive and specific than TGF-β1 in diagnosis of PCOS and in differentiating obese from lean group. Nonetheless, the diagnostic power of both TGF-β1 and sEng was highly significant. Obese subjects of control and PCOS groups had higher values of TGF-β1 and lower values of plasma sEng level than lean subjects, the diagnostic power of both TGF-β1 and sEng was highly significant thus, sEng and TGF-β1 could be a useful diagnostic biomarker of PCOS.