Is there an association between the development of metabolic syndrome in PCOS patients and the C677T MTHFR gene polymorphism?

Abstract

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. PCOS is characterized by anovulation, polycystic ovaries, hyperandrogenism leading to infertility, dermatological and psychological problems, as well as the risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The exact cause of PCOS remains unclear. Various biochemical and genetic markers have been implicated in predisposition to PCOS, but no single variant has been associated with the syndrome. Some authors connect hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) with MetS and its components. The MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism is a common genetic abnormality leading to hyperhomocysteinemia.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to confirm the existence of a possible correlation between metabolic disturbances in PCOS and the MTHFR C677T polymorphism.

Material and methods: A total of 98 patients diagnosed with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria and 101 age-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Genotyping of MTHFR C677T was performed by the real time PCR method.

Results: Statistically significant differences were observed between those two groups with regard to body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), fasting insulin, total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG). No significant differences in the prevalence of the genotypes of the MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism were found between the PCOS group and controls. Despite the lack of significant differences, we observed a tendency for a higher prevalence of the TT genotype in the PCOS group (p = 0.06). No statistically significant differences were observed between the PCOS group and the control group in terms of the presence of the MetS components and the predisposition to develop MetS.

Conclusions: Our study did not confirm an association between the MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism and the development of MetS in PCOS. Further studies with larger sample size might be useful to determine this association.