Amino acid signatures in relation to polycystic ovary syndrome and increased risk of different metabolic disturbances

Research question: Do women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a distinct plasma amino acid profile and do potential amino acid markers exist for different metabolic risks of PCOS?

Design: Chinese Han women (n = 380; 190 with PCOS and 190 controls matched for age and BMI) were recruited and basal state plasma collected. The concentrations of 50 amino acids were quantitatively determined by high-performance LCMS.

Results: Thirty-one amino acids had abnormal levels in the PCOS group versus the control group. Twenty-eight amino acids were upregulated and three amino acids downregulated. Multivariate statistical analysis identified 13 amino acids as potential metabolic markers of PCOS; of these, ROC curve analysis revealed 10 amino acids with high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing PCOS (AUC >0.80). The combination of these 10 amino acids were better able to diagnose PCOS than clinical endocrine parameters. Specific amino acids were associated with increased odds of obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in PCOS. Alterations of tyrosine, lysine, methionine, hydroxyarginine, 3-methyhistidine, GABA, methylhistidine and glycine were related to obesity in women with PCOS; enhanced levels of branched-chain amino acids, tyrosine, alanine and lysine were correlated to insulin resistance in the PCOS group; a combination of alanine, valine, leucine, tyrosine, glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine indicated the predictive potential of metabolic syndrome risk in women with PCOS.

Conclusions: Women with PCOS suffered from severe dysfunction of amino acid metabolism. Specific amino acid signatures could be used as powerful markers for diagnosing PCOS and predicting metabolic disturbances.