Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011:2011:389317.
doi: 10.1155/2011/389317. Epub 2011 Mar 20.

IL-6 serum levels and production is related to an altered immune response in polycystic ovary syndrome girls with insulin resistance

Anna M Fulghesu  1 , Francesca Sanna, Sabrina Uda, Roberta Magnini, Elaine Portoghese, Barbara Batetta
Affiliations

IL-6 serum levels and production is related to an altered immune response in polycystic ovary syndrome girls with insulin resistance

Anna M Fulghesu et al. Mediators Inflamm. 2011.

Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is frequently characterized by obesity and metabolic diseases including hypertension, insulin resistance, and diabetes in adulthood, all leading to an increased risk of atherosclerosis. The present study aimed to evaluate serum and production of inflammatory markers in adolescent Sardinian PCOS. On the basis of HOMA findings, patients were divided into noninsulin resistant (NIR) and insulin resistant (IR), and were weight- and age-matched with healthy girls. Inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, Il-10, TGF-β) and lipokines (leptin, adiponectin), the reactant hs-CRP, and in vitro inflammatory lympho-monocyte response to microbial stimulus were evaluated. In healthy and PCOS subjects, leptin and hs-CRP were correlated with BMI, whereas adiponectin was significantly reduced in all PCOS groups. Although cytokines were similar in all groups, Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly higher in IR PCOS. Moreover, in the latter group lipopolysaccharide-activated monocytes secreted significantly higher levels of IL-6 compared to NIR and control subjects. To conclude, IR PCOS displayed increased IL-6 serum levels and higher secretion in LPS-activated monocytes, whilst revealing no differences for other inflammatory cytokines. These results suggest that in PCOS patients an altered immune response to inflammatory stimuli is present in IR, likely contributing towards determining onset of a low grade inflammation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Leptin, BMI, adiponectin, and CRP in PCOS and control girls in controls (c), noninsulin resistant (NIR), and (IR) girls. Due to the strongly asymmetric distribution of data, the graph shows the median(middle bar), interquartile ranges (boxes), and min-max ranges (end bars). P <  .005 by Mann-Whitney U test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
TNF-α and IL-6 levels in PCOS and control girls. Due to the strongly asymmetric distribution of data, the graph shows the median (middle bar), interquartile ranges (boxes), and min-max ranges (end bars). P <  .005 by Mann-Whitney U test.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Il-6 secretion in LPS activated monocytes from PCOS and control girls. Each value represents mean ± SEM of 8 separated experiments. *LPS-activated monocytes from PCOS versus LPS- activated monocytes fromcontrols, P <  .05, by Student's t-test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cholesterol esterification in LPS-activated monocytes from PCOS and control girls. Each value represents mean ± SEM of 8 separated experiments.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Franks S. Polycystic ovary syndrome: a changing perspective. Clinical Endocrinology. 1989;31(1):87–120. - PubMed
    1. Shroff R, Kerchner A, Maifeld M, Van Beek EJR, Jagasia D, Dokras A. Young obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome have evidence of early coronary atherosclerosis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2007;92(12):4609–4614. - PubMed
    1. Talbott EO, Guzick DS, Sutton-Tyrrell K, et al. Evidence for association between polycystic ovary syndrome and premature carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged women. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2000;20(11):2414–2421. - PubMed
    1. Christian RC, Dumesic DA, Behrenbeck T, Oberg AL, Sheedy PF, Fitzpatrick LA. Prevalence and predictors of coronary artery calcification in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2003;88(6):2562–2568. - PubMed
    1. Orio Jr. F, Palomba S, Spinelli L, et al. The cardiovascular risk of young women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an observational, analytical, prospective case-control study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2004;89(8):3696–3701. - PubMed

Publication types