Study on insulin resistance, glycolipid metabolism, and sex hormones in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective To evaluate the insulin resistance of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by hyperinsulin-euglycemic clamp test, and to explore the characteristics of glycolipid metabolism and sex hormone levels in PCOS patients with insulin resistance. Methods Seventy-three patients with PCOS and 27 healthy women with body mass index and age matched with PCOS patients who were admitted to the Department of Endocrinology of Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from July 2017 to February 2019 were underwent hyperinsulin-euglycemic clamp test. All subjects were grouped according to glucose metabolic rate, body mass index, and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), the changes and differences of glucose and lipid metabolism and sex hormone indexes in PCOS patients were analyzed. Results In the PCOS group, impaired glucose regulation accounted for 3.23% (1/31), and abnormal lipid metabolism for 9.68% (3/31). In the PCOS with insulin resistance group, impaired glucose regulation accounted for 7.14% (3/42). Abnormal blood lipid metabolism reached 47.62% (20/42), and 5 patients were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, accounting for 11.90%. Correlation analysis showed glucose metabolic rate and body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, cortisol, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), free androgen index (FAI), and glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were negatively correlated(all P<0.05), while positively correlated with high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C; P=0.028). HOMA-IR was positively correlated with body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1C, LDL-C (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with glucose metabolic rate and HDL-C (P<0.05). Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, triglyceride, and LDL-C (P<0.05) were positively correlated, and negatively correlated with glucose metabolic rate, HDL-C, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG; P<0.01). Multivariate linear stepwise regression analysis showed that body mass index, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and cortisol were principal factors affecting glucose metabolic rate. Fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, and systolic blood pressure were important factors influencing HOMA-IR. Glucose metabolic rate, HOMA-IR, HDL-C, while SHBG were still vital to body mass index. Conclusion FAI, SHBG, and cortisol may be involved in the insulin resistance development of PCOS patients, and PCOS patients with insulin resistance were more susceptible to metabolic disorders. Key words: Polycysic ovarian syndrome; Insulin resistance; Hyperinsulin-euglycemic clamp; Glycolipid metabolism; Sex hormone