The Association of Kisspeptin with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine abnormality in women of reproductive age which often varies from mild menstrual disorder to severe disturbance of reproductive and metabolic functions. It is characterized by a collection of signs and symptoms which include ovulatory dysfunction-related infertility, menstrual disorders or androgen-related symptoms. Kisspeptin is a 54 amino acid neuropeptide that plays an essential role in human metabolism. It is encoded by the KISS1 gene and excites a reaction cascade in the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG)-axis, which is important in human reproduction. This study was aimed at determining the association of plasma kisspeptin with polycystic ovarian syndrome patients in Ghana. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 81 participants. Of these subjects, 41 were diagnosed with PCOS whiles 40 were apparently healthy and without PCOS. Blood samples of subjects were collected and analysed for kisspeptin, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, prolactin and testosterone by ELISA method. Body mass indices (BMI) and fasting blood glucose were also assessed. The difference between the means FBG (mmol/L) and kisspeptin (ng/ml) of PCOS patients and the controls (5.82 ± 0.06 vs 5.37 ± 0.14) [p=0.001], (20.21 ± 1.74 vs 12.15 ± 2.51) [p=0.009] were respectively significant. There were significances in the difference between the two groups for LH and FSH (p= <0.0001) respectively. The difference between means for testosterone between study groups (12.73 ± 0.37 vs 11.27 ± 0.52) was significant (p=0.025). Regression analyses showed that FSH (OR= 0.025, p<0.0001), FBG (OR= 3.33, p=0.047) and LH (OR= 0.162, p=0.013) were associated with kisspeptin levels in PCOS patients. In conclusion, plasma kisspeptin levels were high in PCOS patients, relative to their nonPCOS counterparts. Fasting blood glucose and gonadotropins contributed significantly to the variances in kisspeptin levels seen among PCOS patients.