Serum levels of angiopoietin-like protein 4 in polycystic ovary syndrome women with normal body mass index

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder in women, and approximately 75% of women affected by PCOS are overweight. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) is a potent inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) enzyme. This protein is a determinant of plasma concentration and clearance of triglyceride. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the serum levels of ANGPTL4 in PCOS women with normal body mass index (BMI).
A case-control study of 47 women visiting Abolfazle Clinic, affiliated to Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, was performed during 2015-2016. In this study, 25 PCOS women were assigned to the case group through simple non-probable sampling based on the Rotterdam 2003 criteria. Further, 22 healthy women were selected for the control group. Serum levels of all hormones were measured by the ELISA technique, and biochemical parameters were evaluated by an autoanalyser. The obtained data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and linear regression test in SPSS, version 16. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
The results of this study showed a significant increase in LH (P=0.003), LH/FSH (P= 0.007), FBS (P= 0.03), testosterone (P= 0.02), and prolactin (P= 0.005) levels in the case group. There was no significant difference in the levels of ANGPTL4, insulin, HOMA-IR, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), HDL, HOMA-B, and creatinine between the groups. There was a significant negative correlation between serum level of ANGPTL4 and insulin logarithm (P=0.002), FBS (P=0.006), HOMA-IR logarithm (P=0.001), and BMI (P=0.03), but no correlation was found between ANGPTL4 and lipid parameters.
We found no significant difference between the PCOS women with normal BMI and the controls regarding serum levels of ANGPTL4.