Elevated C-reactive protein and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

ObjectivesC-reactive protein (CRP) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) are inflammatory factors involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This study aimed to analyse serum concentrations of CRP and MCP-1 in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and to test the effect of these factors on human THP-1 cells to determine the inflammatory state of these patients.Study designEighty-five women with PCOS and 65 healthy women with regular menstrual cycles, matched for age and body mass index (BMI), were included in the study. Serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, fasting glucose and fasting insulin were monitored. Serum CRP and MCP-1 were compared between patients with PCOS and controls. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate was used to induce the differentiation of human THP-1 monocytes into THP-1 macrophages. THP-1 macrophages were incubated with serum from patients with PCOS or controls for 24 h, and MCP-1 mRNA expression was determined using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.ResultsSerum CRP and MCP-1 levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS compared with controls (CRP 1.9 ± 2.0 mg/l vs. 0.9 ± 0.8 mg/l; MCP-1 125.7 ± 68.0 ng/ml vs. 89.8 ± 68.3 ng/ml, respectively). Serum CRP level was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.494, p = 0.000), waist:hip ratio (r = 0.451, p = 0.000), testosterone (r = 0.214, p = 0.032), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; r = 0.617, p = 0.000) and MCP-1 (r = 0.219, p = 0.027), and negatively correlated with HDL-C (r = −0.209, p = 0.035). MCP-1 level was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.381, p = 0.000), waist:hip ratio (r = 0.421, p = 0.000), HOMA-IR (r = 0.265, p = 0.007) and triglycerides (r = 0.439, p = 0.000). MCP-1 mRNA expression in THP-1 cells incubated with serum from patients with PCOS was significantly higher than that in THP-1 cells incubated with serum from controls (p < 0.05).ConclusionPatients with PCOS suffer low-grade chronic inflammation indicated by higher levels of CRP and MCP-1, which could lead to increased risk of atherogenesis.