SAT-181 - Increased Prolactin Levels Decrease the Risk of Developing Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 1 in 8 women worldwide in which irregular anterior pituitary (AP) hormone levels are comorbid with metabolic dysfunctions like dyslipidemia. Prolactin (PRL) is an AP hormone with over 300 identified functions across systems like reproduction and metabolism, but its serum levels have had opposing reported trends among women with PCOS. To investigate relationships between PRL and other clinical biomarkers, we stratified 363 women with PCOS based on their serum PRL levels and analyzed their clinical profiles relative to those of 55 women without PCOS. When PCOS patients were split into quartiles, women with PCOS and the highest PRL levels had higher dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels, a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands, than patients with the lowest PRL levels. In contrast, a decreasing trend of dyslipidemia was identified among women with PCOS and higher PRL levels. The dyslipidemia was confirmed when the values of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, or low-density lipoprotein were outside normal ranges. After adjusting for age, a mediation analysis revealed a protective pathway. Increased DHEAS levels could induce higher PRL levels to decrease the risk of developing PCOS (-7.26%). A high DHEAS level is a characteristic of PCOS. Thus, if PRL levels are altered as a result of these abnormal steroid hormone levels, multitargetted interventions may be necessary to consider pathways opposing each other in the pathophysiology of PCOS. We anticipate PRL to link endocrine and metabolic abnormalities in PCOS where dysfunctions in the AP may make a significant contribution. Further investigations on the underlying mechanisms of PRL signaling are necessary to determine whether its serum levels can serve as a diagnostic marker for PCOS or even a therapeutic target.

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