title: A possible link between luteinizing hormone and macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels in polycystic ovary syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a role in metabolic and inflammatory processes. Increasing evidence suggests that there is a link between MIF and ovulation. We aimed to evaluate plasma MIF levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to determine whether MIF levels differ between the follicular phase and mid-cycle of the menstrual cycle in eumenorrheic women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety women with PCOS and 80 age- and BMI-matched healthy eumenorrheic women were consecutively recruited into this prospective observational study. For all subjects, plasma MIF levels in the early follicular phase were measured by ELISA; for the 40 healthy controls, MIF levels were also measured during mid-cycle of the same menstrual cycle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma MIF levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS than in eumenorrheic women (14.16 ± 1.59 vs. 10.39 ± 0.70 ng/ml; p < 0.001). MIF levels were significantly higher at mid-cycle than in the follicular phase in eumenorrheic women (11.15 ± 0.61 vs. 10.56 ± 0.82 ng/ml; p < 0.001). MIF was positively correlated with BMI, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in both groups. MIF was positively correlated with luteinizing hormone (LH) and free-testosterone only in the PCOS group. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that the odds ratio (OR) for PCOS independently increases linearly with elevated MIF (OR = 1.385, 95% CI = 1.087-1.764, p = 0.017).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MIF may play a crucial role in the reproductive system in women, including the development of PCOS and normal ovulation.
authors.affiliation: a Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine , Dokuz Eylul University Medical School , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calan
authors.affiliation: b Department of Medical Biochemistry , Dokuz Eylul University Medical School , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuncay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kume
authors.affiliation: c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Manisa Merkezefendi Hospital , Manisa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.affiliation: a Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine , Dokuz Eylul University Medical School , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Tugba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arkan
authors.affiliation: d Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine , Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Gokcen Unal
authors.initials: GU
authors.lastname: Kocabas
authors.affiliation: e Department of Internal Medicine , Dokuz Eylul University Medical School , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozge
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dokuzlar
authors.affiliation: e Department of Internal Medicine , Dokuz Eylul University Medical School , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aygün
authors.affiliation: e Department of Internal Medicine , Dokuz Eylul University Medical School , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Asi
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Oktan
authors.affiliation: e Department of Internal Medicine , Dokuz Eylul University Medical School , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Nilay
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Danıs
authors.affiliation: c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Manisa Merkezefendi Hospital , Manisa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Temur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / Q000097:blood*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000097:blood*; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; C515598:MIF protein, human
keywords: Insulin resistance; luteinizing hormone; macrophage migration inhibitory factor; ovulation; polycystic ovary syndrome