Total testosterone to dihydrotestosterone ratio assessed by LC-MS/MS predicts a worse metabolic profile not only in PCOS patients.
Total testosterone/dihydrotestosterone ratio (TT/DHT) was found to determine metabolic risk in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study was to analyze whether (TT/DHT) may be helpful in predicting metabolic risk not only in PCOS patients but also in healthy women.



Total testosterone (TT), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), androstendione and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) were measured by LC-MS/MS in 36 women with PCOS and in 29 age-matched controls without clinical hyperandrogenism. In all participants, anthropometric data, lipids, adipose tissue percent (%fat), HOMA-IR were also assessed.



The studied groups were not different in terms of age, BMI, waist circumference, %fat and HOMA-IR. In the patients group, mean TT and androstendione levels were significantly higher as compared to controls (1.4 nmol/L vs. 1.0 nmol/L, P < 0.001) and (6.6 nmol/L vs. 4.9 nmol/L, P < 0.01), respectively. In the patients group, mean TT/DHT ratio was significantly higher compared to controls (3.6 vs. 2.7, P < 0.01) and correlated with BMI (r = 0.37, P < 0.05), waist circumference (r = 0.44, P < 0.01), %fat (r = 0.30, P < 0.05), as well as with insulin levels (r = 0.38, P < 0.05) and HOMA-IR (r = 0.44, P < 0.05). The association between TT/DHT ratio and unfavorable metabolic parameters was also seen in controls.



Total testosterone/dihydrotestosterone ratio assessed by LC-MS/MS correlates with a worse metabolic profile not only in PCOS patients, but also in healthy women.
Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. uambroziak@wum.edu.pl.
Urszula
U
Ambroziak
Alina
A
Kuryłowicz
Anna
A
Kępczyńska-Nyk
Zbigniew
Z
Bartoszewicz
Agnieszka
A
Kondracka
Radosław
R
Jaźwiec
Emilia
E
Samborowska
Michał
M
Dadlez
Aleksandra
A
Wysłouch-Cieszyńska
Tomasz
T
Bednarczuk
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000735:Androstenedione / Q000097:blood*; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood*; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult
D007328:Insulin; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D013739:Testosterone; D000735:Androstenedione; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate
dihydrotestosterone; hyperandrogenism; liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry; polycystic ovary syndrome; testosterone