Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin which plays a role in neuronal growth and differentiation. Decreased level of BDNF is supposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative diseases. Recent data indicate that BDNF could be also involved in angiogenesis. Several lines of evidence support the role of BDNF in glucose metabolism. The decreased level of BDNF are observed in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to determine plasma BDNF concentration in patients with PCOS in comparison to healthy women.

Study participants and methods: We studied 74 women with PCOS (BMI −27.60±6.73 kg/m²) and 37 healthy, regularly menstruating women (BMI −26.69±6.72 kg/m²). PCOS was diagnosed with Rotterdam criteria. Clinical examination, an anthropometric measurements, hyperinsulinaemic, euglycaemic clamp and estimation of plasma concentrations of BDNF, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), adiponectin, soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), intercellular adhesion cell molecule-1 (sICAM-1), hormonal and lipid profile were performed in all study participants.

Results: Women with PCOS had significantly higher LH (P<0.0001), testosterone (P=0.011) and FAI (P=0.04) in comparison to the control group. Plasma BDNF concentration was lower in PCOS group vs controls (P=0.04). Subgroups analysis revealed that plasma BDNF was significantly lower in the obese PCOS women vs obese controls (P=0.03), whereas such difference was not found between lean PCOS and control women. In PCOS group, plasma BDNF correlated significantly with SHBG (r=0.26, P=0.02), adiponectin (r=0.29, P=0.012), sICAM-1 (r=−0.28, P=0.014) and sE-selectin (r=−0.24, P=0.03), which was not observed in the control group.

Conclusion: Our data indicate that BDNF is decreased in obese PCOS women and related to the markers of endothelial dysfunction.

Disclosure: This study was supported by the grant from the Medical University of Biał, Poland – 113-50740L