Investigation of serum agouti-related peptide levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Agouti-related peptide, secreted by the terminals of agouti-related peptide neurons in the hypothalamus and released into the systemic circulation, has been implicated in regulating food intake, obesity, and the development of insulin resistance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate serum agouti-related peptide levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. METHODS: This cross-sectional, case-control study included 88 women with polycystic ovary syndrome and 88 age- and body mass index-matched controls. Serum agouti-related peptide levels were quantified using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. First, serum agouti-related peptide levels were compared between the control and polycystic ovary syndrome groups, followed by comparisons between the subgroups. RESULTS: The median serum agouti-related peptide level was 331.1 ng/L in the polycystic ovary syndrome group and 362 ng/L in the control group (p=0.994). Both the polycystic ovary syndrome and control groups were further stratified by body mass index into normal weight and overweight subgroups. Serum agouti-related peptide levels were similar across all the four subgroups (p=0.717). Additionally, the polycystic ovary syndrome group was divided into five subgroups based on polycystic ovary syndrome phenotype and compared with the control group regarding serum agouti-related peptide levels. Serum agouti-related peptide levels were comparable across the five subgroups (p=0.267). CONCLUSIONS: Serum agouti-related peptide levels were comparable between the polycystic ovary syndrome and non-polycystic ovary syndrome groups and in the subgroup analyses. Although the sample size was insufficient to draw definitive conclusions, the results suggest that serum agouti-related peptide levels are unlikely to play a significant role in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome or be directly influenced by the condition.