ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) prevalence varies widely, ranging from 2.2 to 20%, depending on the diagnostic criteria and the studied population. This condition increasingly affects adolescents, potentially affecting around 3-11% of girls. In three forth women with PCOS obesity is present, with elevated prevalence of central distribution of adipose tissue - a significant risk factor for various metabolic disorders. Recent studies have focused on the roles of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and visfatin in the pathophysiology of abdominal obesity (aOb). VEGF facilitates adipose tissue vascularization, MMP-9 aids in tissue remodeling, and visfatin links visceral fat with metabolic and inflammatory processes. Understanding their roles could lead to new therapeutic strategies targeting these molecules to manage and treat abdominal obesity and its associated metabolic disorders. The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentrations of VEGF, MMP-9, and visfatin in adolescents with PCOS and accompanying aOb.

Material and Methods: 36 adolescents with PCOS (diagnosed based on consensus Ibanez et al. 2017) were involved for the prospective study (mean age 16.0±0.9 years, BMI 24.8±5.8 kg/m2). 17 girls with abdominal obesity (waist >80 cm) were qualified to study group (PCOS+aOb) and 19 girls without aOb into the control group (PCOS-control). Clinical and biochemical profile, including VEGF, MMP-9, and visfatin were assessed and correlated each other in all adolescents.

Results: PCOS+aOb group exhibited significantly higher levels of ALAT, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, LDL cholesterol and testosterone (P <0.05). This group also showed significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P <0.05). PCOS+aOb vs. PCOS-control adolescents showed higher concentrations of MMP-9, visfatin and VEGF, with significant differences in relation to MMP-9 (P <0.001). Additionally, positive correlation was found between MMP-9 concentration and body weight, waist circumference, BMI and LDL-cholesterol values (r =0.37; P = 0.03; r =0.38; P = 0.02; r =0.36; P = 0.03; r =0.43; P = 0.01, respectively). Visfatin concentration showed negative correlation with androstenedione (r =-0.53; P = 0.01). VEGF concentration did not show correlations with any parameters.

Conclusion: Indirectly, by assessing well-known and new biochemical markers we found that coexistence of PCOS with aOb even in younger patients, may even aggravates a risk factor for cardiovascular complications. The number of participants is a limitation of this study, however it outlines new directions and the need for further research in this area

Keywords: polycystic ovary syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, VEGF, MMP-9, visfatin, adolescent girls