Enhanced inflammatory transcriptome in the granulosa cells of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Jaye Adams, Zhilin Liu, Yi Athena Ren, Wan Song Wun, Wei Zhou, Shlomit Kenigsberg, Clifford Librach, Cecilia Valdes, William Gibbons, Jo Anne Richards

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

82 Scopus citations

Abstract

Context: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder of reproductive- aged women, is associated with systemic low-grade inflammation. Objective: We propose that increased or altered intrafollicular inflammatory reactions also occur in periovulatory follicles of PCOS patients. Design: Gene profiling and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses in granulosa-lutein cells (GCs) collected from PCOS and non-PCOS women undergoing in vitro fertilization were compared with serum and follicular fluid (FF) levels of cytokines and chemokines. Setting: This was a university-based study. Patients: Twenty-one PCOS and 45 control patients were recruited: demographic, hormone, body mass index, and pregnancy outcomes were abstracted from patient data files. Interventions: GCcytokine/chemokinemRNAswere identified and analyzed by gene-chip microarrays/ qPCR before and after culture withhumanchorionic gonadotropin, DHT, IL-6, or IL-8; serum/FF cytokine levels were also analyzed. Main Outcome Measures: Relative serum/FF cytokine levels and GC cytokine expression before and after culture were compared and related to body mass index. Results: The following results were found: 1) PCOS GCs express elevated transcripts encoding cytokines, chemokines, and immune cell markers, 2) based on gene profiling and qPCR analyses, obese PCOS patients define a distinct PCOS disease subtype with the most dramatic increases in proinflammatory and immune-related factors, and 3) human chorionic gonadotropin and DHT increased cytokine production in cultured GCs, whereas cytokines augmented cytokine and vascular genes, indicating that hyperandrogenism/elevated LH and obesity in PCOS women augment intrafollicular cytokine production. Conclusions: Intrafollicular androgens and cytokines likely comprise a local regulatory loop that impacts GC expression of cytokines and chemokines and the presence of immune cells; this loop is further enhanced in the obese PCOS subtype.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3459-3468
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Volume101
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2016

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Biochemistry
  • Endocrinology
  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Biochemistry, medical

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