Association of Perforin and Granzyme-B Levels with Hyperandrogenism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

Elham Zarei, Hassan Mohajery, Fatemeh Aliakbari, Fatemeh Mohammad Zadeh, Gholamreza Veghari and Azadreza Mansourian

Background and Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is shown to be associated with hyperandrogenemia and has some features such as cytotoxic T-cells activation and release of perforin and granzyme-B. Present work was aimed to investigate the relation of perforin and granzyme-B to androgenic state in PCOS. Materials and Methods: Forty three PCOS and 40 control women were recruited. After recording demographic data, sex hormone status and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors were evaluated. Perforin and granzyme-B levels were measured using sandwich ELISA kits. Results: Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels were lower in patients. Luteinizing hormone (LH), free testosterone (FT), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), free androgen index (FAI), perforin and granzyme-B values were higher in PCOS group. Perforin and granzyme-B were positively correlated with FT and FAI and with each other in PCOS group. In patients, granzyme-B and perforin were related with FT and FAI, respectively. Conclusion: The results of present study together with evidences about the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in insulin resistance, CVD and PCOS suggest that perforin/granzyme-B may be involved in interactions of sex hormones system in PCOS patients.

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