Interplay of Cortisol, Testosterone, and Abdominal Fat Mass in Normal-weight Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Context Ovarian and adrenal steroidogenesis underlie endocrine-metabolic dysfunction in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Adipocytes express aldo-keto reductase 1C3 and type 1 11 & beta;-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which modulate peripheral androgen and cortisol production. Objectives To compare serum adrenal steroids, including 11-oxygenated androgens (11-oxyandrogens), cortisol, and cortisone between normal-weight women with PCOS and body mass index- and age-matched ovulatory women with normal-androgenic profiles (controls), and assess whether adrenal steroids associate with abdominal adipose deposition. Design Prospective, cross-sectional, cohort study. Setting Academic medical center. Patients Twenty normal-weight women with PCOS and 20 body mass index-/age-matched controls. Intervention(s) Blood sampling, IV glucose tolerance testing, and total-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Main Outcome Measure(s) Clinical characteristics, hormonal concentrations, and body fat distribution. Results Women with PCOS had higher serum total/free testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A4) levels and a greater android/gynoid fat mass than controls (androgens P < .001; android/gynoid fat mass ratio, P = .026). Serum total/free T and A4 levels correlated positively with android/gynoid fat mass ratio in all women combined (P < .025, all values). Serum 11ss-hydroxyA4, 11-ketoA4, 11ss-hydroxyT, 11-ketoT, cortisol, and cortisone levels were comparable between female types and unrelated to body fat distribution. Serum 11-oxyandrogens correlated negatively with % total body fat, but lost significance adjusting for cortisol. Serum cortisol levels, however, correlated inversely with android fat mass (P = .021), with a trend toward reduced serum cortisol to cortisone ratio in women with PCOS vs controls (P = .075), suggesting diminished 11 & beta;-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity. Conclusion Reduced cortisol may protect against preferential abdominal fat mass in normal-weight PCOS women with normal serum 11-oxyandrogens.

Automated summary

Ovarian and adrenal steroidogenesis play a role in endocrine-metabolic dysfunction in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Comparing PCOS patients with normal-weight controls, elevated serum levels of total/free testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A4) were observed in PCOS patients, along with greater android/gynoid fat mass. Adrenal steroids were not significantly associated with body fat distribution, but reduced cortisol levels correlated with diminished android fat mass in PCOS patients, suggesting a protective effect against preferential abdominal fat deposition.