Association between adipose tissue expression and serum levels of leptin and adiponectin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

We reviewed emerging evidence linking serum levels and adipose tissue expression of leptin and adiponectin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Previous data obtained by our group from a sample of overweight/obese PCOS women and a control sample of normal weight controls, both stratified by BMI, were reanalyzed. Circulating levels of leptin and adiponectin were determined by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Adipose tissue total RNA was reserve-transcripted into complementary DNA samples, which were used as templates for quantitative real-time PCR amplification. Positive correlations were found between serum and mRNA levels for both leptin (r = 0.321; P = 0.005) and adiponectin (r = 0.266; P = 0.024). Determination of leptin and adiponectin serum levels could serve as an indirect method to assess adipocyte production, since leptin and adiponectin are predominantly produced by subcutaneous adipocytes in women.