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Alteration of Plasma Indoles in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

  • Reproductive Endocrinology: Original Article
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Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrinopathies in reproductive-aged women. The occurrence of PCOS was reported to be associated with the alteration of gut microbiota. Microbiota-derived indoles may possibly play a key role in glycemic control. The purpose of this work is to reveal the alteration of plasma indoles in PCOS patients and to investigate the correlation between indoles levels and glucose metabolism. Sixty-five patients with PCOS and twenty-eight age-matched women were enrolled in this work. The concentrations of plasma indoles, including indoxyl sulfate (IS), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-propionate (IPA), indole (IND), and 3-methylindole (3-MI), were measured by HPLC with the fluorescence detection. The plasma levels of IS, IAA, and IND were significantly elevated in patients with PCOS compared to those in the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the plasma levels of IS, IAA, and IND were positively correlated with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and the homeostatic model of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) (p < 0.05). Besides, the 3-MI level in the plasma was positively correlated with the fasting glucose level, whereas plasma levels of IS, IAA, IND, and 3-MI were negatively correlated with glucagon-like peptide 1 (p < 0.05). Moreover, IS and IND were considered to be risk factors for PCOS after age, BMI, T, LH, and HOMA-IR adjustment. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of the combined index of five indoles was 0.867 for PCOS diagnosis. Additionally, plasma indoles altered in PCOS, which was closely associated with the glucose metabolism.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study will be provided on request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge all participants for cooperation in this study. We thank the contributions of physicians and other medical personnel in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University to this study.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (31700725), Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (cstc2019jcyj-msxmX0103, cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0141), and the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (Grant No. KJQN201800437).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Ke Yang, Xiaoqing Zhang, Shengnan Pan, Yutong Yan & Min Ding

  2. Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Wenwu Gui, Yanna Ban & Ying Chen

  3. Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Qianna Zhen

  4. Laboratory of Lipid &Glucose Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Li Ma

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  1. Ke Yang
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Correspondence to Min Ding.

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The study was approved by the ethical committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China.

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Yang, K., Zhang, X., Gui, W. et al. Alteration of Plasma Indoles in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Reprod. Sci. 31, 764–772 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01377-8

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