We aimed to evaluate the effect of insulin resistance (IR) on serum Intelectin-1 and endocrinological hormones levels in obese and non-obese women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Basrah, Iraq.

From 124 women volunteers, 60 patients with primary and 64 patients with secondary, while 56 normal ovulatory women were taken as controls. Their fasting insulin hormone, intelectin-1, anti-Mullerian hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL), estradiol (E2) and testosterones (T) were determined by ELISA methods. BMI, glucose and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index as well as IR was determined by the homeostasis model assessment.

A significant changes (P<0.05) were seen in the level of homeostasis model assessment-IR, E2 and T. Levels of anti-Mullerian hormone, LH, LH/FSH ratio and prolactin were significantly (P<0.01) increased and level of intelectin-1 and E2/T ratio were significantly (P<0.01) decreased, while quantitative insulin sensitivity check index level was not significantly different (P>0.05) between the patients (1°PCOS and 2°PCOS) and control groups. On the other hand, our data reported that FSH level was significantly (P<0.05) lower in obese and higher in non-obese patients with PCOS as compared to control group.

Levels of intelectin-1 and endocrinological hormones have significantly associated with body mass index, IR and physical activity in patients and normal groups and the strategies that can modulate levels of these parameters would improve metabolic disarrangements in women with PCOS.

Insulin resistance is a major pathophysiology in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and assessment of insulin sensitivity is important. Various insulin sensitivity indices from fasting state or oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) have been compared with euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of these indices in young Korean women with PCOS.

Euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp test and 75 g OGTT were performed in 290 women with PCOS. Insulin mediated glucose uptake (IMGU), the insulin sensitivity index from clamp, was compared with various insulin sensitivity indices such as composite insulin sensitivity index (ISI_comp), estimated metabolic clearance rate (MCR_est) of glucose and estimated insulin sensitivity index (ISI_est), area under the curve of glucose and insulin ratio (AUC-GIR), OGTT-derived Belfiore index, and oral glucose insulin sensitivity index (OGSI) by Kazama. Fasting state indices such as glucose insulin ratio (GIR), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), fasting Belfiore index, and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) were also compared with IMGU.

The correlation coefficients of ISI_comp, MCR_est, ISI_est, AUC-GIR, OGTT-Belfiore index, and OGSI with IMGU were all about 0.5 (Ps'<0.001) in PCOS women as a whole. The MCR_est and ISI_est were significantly correlated with IMGU in both obese (r=0.58 and 0.58, P<0.0001) and non-obese subjects (r=0.33 and 0.32, P<0.001). Fasting glucose and insulin-derived indices showed worse correlation with IMGU than OGTT-derived ones.

The MCR_est and ISI_est from OGTT might be the best replacement for the insulin sensitivity index from hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp independent of obesity.