Does ferritin and leptin level in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome depend on the nutritional status?

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the pathological conditions associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. Ferritin was considered as one of the inflammatory reactants or markers of oxidative status. The question remains whether elevated serum ferritin levels representing iron overload in patients with PCOS are the cause or consequence of insulin resistance existing in these subjects. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that serum ferritin, like the leptin levels in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome depend on the nutritional status. Methods: Study included 54 female patients, in the age of 18 to 40 years, with proven PCOS (among whom 32 lean, with body mass index-BMI<25 kg/m2 and 22 overweight or obese, with BMl>25 kg/m2) and 46 healthy control female patients, in the age of 20 to 36 years (among whom 29 lean and 17 overweight or obese). PCOS was diagnosed based on well-known clinic, biochemical and ultrasonographic criteria. Ferritin was measured by immunochemiluminescence method, while leptin was measured in blood samples by sandwich enzyme­linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: In all the subjects included in this investigation there was a strong positive correlation between leptin and ferritin levels (r=0.429, P<0.001), as well as between leptin and BMI (r=0.930, P<0.001) and ferritin and BMI (r=0.467, P<0.001). However, while leptin levels differed significantly between lean and overweight healthy control (P<0.001) and PCOS (P<0.001) subjects, this could not be demonstrated for ferritin. Ferritin levels did not differ significantly neither between lean and overweight healthy control, nor between lean and overweight PCOS subjects. At the same time, ferritin levels were significantly higher in lean subjects with PCOS than in lean healthy control subjects (p=0.025), as well as in overweight patients with PCOS than in overweight healthy control subjects (P=0.018). Conclusions: Results of this investigation have suggested that while leptin levels depend almost solely on nutritional status, ferritin levels were determined by some additional factors in young women with PCOS. Role of inflammation, oxidative stress and/or insulin resistance in this context has to be determined in future investigations.