Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine and metabolic disorder that affects women in reproductive age. This study aimed to evaluate Gal-3 levels and its role on metabolic parameters in women with PCOS. Gal-3 was measured in 44 PCOS and 25 women recruited as control group for the case-control study. Gal-3 levels were similar between PCOS and control groups (p > 0.05), but showed a positive correlation with glucose levels in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (r = 0.403, p = 0.037), body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.469, p = 0.027), insulin levels (r = 0.453, p = 0.030) and HOMA-IR (r = 0.738, p = 0.037) in PCOS group. The data suggest that Gal-3 plays a role in the pathophysiology of the insulin resistance and obesity in PCOS group.
Keywords: Polycystic ovary syndrome; galectin-3; glucose; insulin resistance; obesity.