Sestrin2 and Beclin1 levels in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

• Published in: Journal of clinical laboratory analysis 2021-09, Vol.35 (9), p.e23957-n/a
• Main Authors: Saeedi, Vahid, Nourbakhsh, Mona, Nourbakhsh, Mitra, Haghighi, Ladan, Kamalzadeh, Leila, Ezzati Mobasser, Samira, Razzaghy‐Azar, Maryam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Androgens; Autophagy; Beclin-1 - blood; beclin1; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; Blood pressure; Body mass index; Case-Control Studies; Cytokines; Diabetes; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Enzymes; Female; Humans; inflammation; Insulin; Insulin resistance; Kinases; Lipids; Metabolic disorders; Normal distribution; Nuclear Proteins - blood; Obesity; Ovaries; Pathogenesis; Patients; Phagocytosis; Plasma; Plasma levels; Polycystic ovary syndrome; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - blood; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - diagnosis; Prognosis; Proteins; ROC Curve; sestrin2; Statistical analysis; Womens health
• ISSN: 0887-8013; 1098-2825
• DOI: 10.1002/jcla.23957

Background Sestrin2 and beclin1 are two newly found proteins that have essential roles in autophagy. This study attempted to evaluate the plasma concentrations of sestrin2 and beclin1 in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and healthy controls and to explore the clinical value of these proteins as novel biomarkers for PCOS. Methods In this case‐control study, plasma levels of sestrin2 and beclin1, fasting blood sugar (FBS), lipid profile, insulin, and androgens were evaluated in 63 women (31 patients and 32 controls). Sestrin2 and beclin1 levels were determined using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, logistic regression, and ROC curve analyses were used in this study. Results Plasma sestrin2 levels of the subjects with PCOS (40.74 [24.39–257.70]) were significantly lower than those of healthy subjects (255.78 [25.46–528.66]; p‐value = 0.040). ROC curve analysis showed that a cutoff value of 420.5 ng/L had an appropriate sensitivity (83.87%) and specificity (46.88%) for discriminating individuals with and without PCOS, with the area under the curve (95% CI) of 0.648 (0.518 to 0.764), p = 0.036. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups concerning plasma levels of beclin1, biochemical parameters, blood pressure, and anthropometric features. Conclusion Our findings highlight the dysregulation of sestrin2 as a marker of autophagy in PCOS and its potential usefulness as a novel biomarker for PCOS. Further research is needed to better understand the role of this protein in the pathophysiology of PCOS and its value as a diagnostic tool for the evaluation of PCOS patients. This study attempted to evaluate the plasma concentrations of Sestrin2 and Beclin1 in women with PCOS and healthy controls, and to explore the clinical value of these proteins as novel biomarkers for PCOS. Plasma sestrin2 levels of the subjects with PCOS (40.74 [24.39–257.70]) were significantly lower than that of healthy subjects (255.78 [25.46–528.66]; p‐value = 0.040). A cut‐off value of 420.5 ng/L had an appropriate sensitivity (83.87%) and specificity (46.88%) for discriminating individuals with and without PCOS. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups concerning plasma levels of beclin1. Our findings highlight the dysregulation of sestrin2 as a marker of autophagy in PCOS and its usefulness as a novel biomarker for PCOS.