BES2004 Poster Presentations Reproduction (28 abstracts)
1Neuroendocrine Unit, Institute of Endocrinology, University Clinical Center, Belgrade, Serbia; 2Gynaecology Clinic, University Clinical Center, Belgrade, Serbia; 3Department of Physiology, Medical Faculty, Complejo Hospitalario, University Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; 4Department of Medicine, Complejo Hospitalario, University Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Inhibin B is a product of the gonads and it is a marker for ovarian follicular development. We studied leptin, inhibin B and LH levels in two groups of patients with AN, at low weight (n=20, BMI=14.3 plus/minus 0.3 kg/m2) and after they reached goal weight and restore menstrual cycles (n=13, BMI 19.3 plus/minus 1.0 kg/m2). Nineteen eumenorrheic females (BMI 19.8 plus/minus 0.4 kg/m2) served as controls. At low weight in patients with AN, basal leptin (1.1 plus/minus 0.2 ng/L), inhibin B (3.0 plus/minus 1.3 pg/ml), LH (1.1 plus/minus 0.1 IU/L) were as expected significantly lower than in controls (leptin 8.1 plus/minus 0.9 ng/ml, inhibin B 41.8 plus/minus 6.7 pg/ml and LH 3.3 plus/minus 0.5 IU/L, p<0.01). Compared with AN patients at low weight, AN patients who recovered weight and restored menstrual cycles had significantly increased leptin (8.5 plus/minus 1.3 ng/ml), inhibin B (32.4 plus/minus 4.7 pg/ml) and LH levels (4.1 plus/minus 1.0 IU/L, p<0.01), as expected not different from controls (p > 0.05). The results suggest that inhibin B levels reflect follicular avtivity in the ovary in weight recovered and eumenorrhoic patients with AN. Inhibin B, besides leptin, may be another useful link between nutrition and the reproductive system.