Abstract
Background
The qualitative analysis of adipose tissue (AT) is an exciting area for research and clinical applications in several diseases and it is emerging along with the approach to research on women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a common disorder in women of reproductive age, which is associated with dysfunction of AT. The aim of study was comparing the expression of genes involved in insulin metabolism in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of pregnant women with and without PCOS.
Methods
In a case-control study, after cesarean section, SAT was taken from two groups of women with PCOS (n = 12) and without PCOS (non-PCOS;n = 24) (2:1 ratio control: case). Then the relative expression of Insulin receptor substrate 1 and 2 (IRS1, IRS2), phosphoinositide-3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 (PIK3R1) and phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate3-kinasecatalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) were measured using Real-time qPCR.
Results
No significant difference was observed in terms of age, pre-pregnancy BMI and BMI on the day of delivery between PCOS and non-PCOS groups. The mRNA levels of IRS1, IRS2, PIK3R1 and PIK3CA in the SAT of pregnant women with PCOS showed a significant decrease compared to non-PCOS pregnant women (P < 0.0001).
Conclusion
This is the first study in humans that investigated gene expression involved in insulin metabolism in subcutaneous AT of pregnant women with and without PCOS. Overall, dramatically decrease in mRNA abundance of IRS1, IRS2, PIK3R1 and PIK3CA in age and BMI-matched case and control groups, proposing the possible central role of AT for insulin metabolism in women suffering from PCOS during pregnancy and around parturition. Given that mRNA may not be directly proportional to the expression level of the proteins, further studies are warranted to elucidate the protein expression of selected factors in response to PCOS in pregnant women with PCOS.
Trial registration:
not applicable