title: Plasma levels of kisspeptins in postmenopausal Chinese women do not show substantial elevation.
abstract: The menopause, defined as the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from ovarian failure, is characterized by elevated levels of serum gonadotropins. Recent studies have demonstrated that the gonadotropin hypersecretion in postmenopausal women is secondary to increase of KiSS-1 mRNA from the hypothalamus neurons, which encoded kisspeptin peptides. The present study was designed to determine whether plasma kisspeptins levels are altered in postmenopausal women. Blood samples were taken from 145 postmenopausal women, 35 young women and 30 pregnant women control in the first trimester. The plasma concentration of kisspeptins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E₂) was measured using immunoassay kits. Results indicated that plasma kisspeptins levels in postmenopausal women had higher than those in young women (5.25±0.36; 4.48±0.34 pmol/L), but no significant difference was found between the two groups (p=0.179). Plasma FSH and LH levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal women (124.67±12.78, 57.14±3.57 mIu/mL) than those in young women (9.23±2.78, 7.56±2.71 mIu/mL, p<0.001). However, Plasma kisspeptins levels were not significantly correlated to FSH and LH in postmenopausal women (r=-0.23, 0.324; p=0.927, 0.176, respectively), and also there was no any correlation between plasma kisspeptins and E₂ in postmenopausal women (r=-0.065; p=0.792). Collectively, there was no significant difference in plasma kisspeptins levels between postmenopausal and young women. Our result suggested that kisspeptins' role during menopause might mainly act in central rather than peripheral system and it could not be currently used as a clinical marker for menopause.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Bao-Ping
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Hai-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kuang
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D059648:Kisspeptins; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; C106628:KISS1 protein, human; D059648:Kisspeptins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone