Serum Testosterone to Androstenedione Ratio Predicts Metabolic Health in Normal-Weight Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Women

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Context Increased aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3)-mediated conversion of androstenedione (A4) to testosterone (T) promotes lipid storage in subcutaneous (SC) abdominal adipose in overweight/obese polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women. Objective This work examines whether an elevated serum T/A4 ratio, as a marker of enhanced AKR1C3 activity in SC abdominal adipose, predicts metabolic function in normal-weight PCOS women. Methods This prospective cohort study took place in an academic center and comprised 19 normal-weight PCOS women and 21 age- and body mass index-matched controls. Interventions included circulating hormone/metabolic determinations, intravenous glucose tolerance testing, total body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and SC abdominal fat biopsy. Serum T/A4 ratios, hormone/metabolic measures, and AKR1C3 expression of adipocytes matured in vitro were compared between female types; serum T/A4 ratios were correlated with serum lipids, adipose insulin resistance (adipose-IR), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity (Si). Results Increased serum T/A4 ratios ( P = .040) and log adipose-IR values ( P = .002) in PCOS women vs controls were accompanied by AKR1C3 messenger RNA overexpression of PCOS adipocytes matured in vitro ( P = .016). Serum T/A4 ratios in PCOS women, but not controls, negatively correlated with log triglycer

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.