ANGPTL4 expression in ovarian granulosa cells is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome

ABSTRACT Objectives:To characterize the expression of ANGPTL4 in ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) and its association with polycystic ovary syndrome. Design: A retrospective study. Setting: University-based center for reproductive medicine. Participants:This study included 104 PCOS patients and 112 control women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) from the reproductive hospital affiliated with Shandong University between 2019 and 2021. Methods: The mRNA expression of ANGPTL4 in GCs were assessed by reverse transcription and real-time quantitative (RT-q)PCR, then clinical information for these patients were reviewed and analyzed. Main outcome measures: ANGPTL4 expression in GCs in participants, correlation between ANGPTL4 expression level and metabolic characteristics of patients and predictive value of ANGPTL4 expression for PCOS. Results: The RT-qPCR results showed that ANGPTL4 expression in the control group is significantly lower than that in the PCOS group(P=0.000). It indicated positive association with AMH(r=0.211), HOMA-IR(r=0.174), LDL/HDL(r=0.176), ApoB/ApoAI(r=0.155) and TC/HDL(r=0.189). Additionally, the ANGPTL4 expression in the ovarian granulosa cells might be a independent factor in PCOS(OR:3.345, 95%CI:1.951–5.734) and served as a good predictor for PCOS (AUC0.704, 95%CI 0.633-0.774,P＜0.001). Conclusions: For the first time our study revealed on the higher ANGPTL4 expression in ovarian GCs with PCOS, and its association with glucose and lipid metabolism showed that ANGPTL4 might be a predictor for PCOS and play an important role in metabolism and pathogenesis of PCOS. Funding: National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFC1003202, 2016YFC1000604) and Taishan scholar project special funds (No. ts201712103). Key words: polycystic ovary syndrome, angiopoietin-like protein 4, mRNA, ovarian granulosa cell, glycolipid metabolism