Steroid Hormone Profiling in Hyperandrogenism and Non-hyperandrogenism Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

The purpose of this study is to explore the differences in the steroid metabolic network between hyperandrogenic and non-hyperandrogenic women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was employed for the quantification of 36 kinds of serum steroids in 80 PCOS women during their follicular phase. Compared with those in non-hyperandrogenemia PCOS women (NA-PCOS), the levels of 17-hydroprogesterone (P = 0.009), androstenedione (P < 0.001), total testosterone (P < 0.001), dihydrotestosterone (P = 0.025), estrone (P = 0.007), and estradiol (P < 0.001) were increased in hyperandrogenemia PCOS (HA-PCOS) women. It was suggested that HA-PCOS may have increased activity of P450c17 (17-hydropregnenolone/pregnenolone, P = 0.008), 3βHSD2 (androstenedione/dehydroepiandrosterone, P = 0.004), and 17βHSD3 (testosterone/dehydroepiandrosterone, P = 0.01) and decreased activity of 5α reductase (dihydrotestosterone/testosterone, P = 0.008). Moreover, the ratio of luteinizing hormone (LH) to follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) was found to be related to these increased steroids and enzyme activities. In conclusion, the HA-PCOS and the NA-PCOS women showed different steroid profiles, and the different enzyme activities in steroidogenic pathway may be the main reason for the difference.