Selenium status parameters in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. To date, no systematic study of interactions between selenium status parameters (SSPs: serum selenium concentration, plasma glutathione peroxidase, GPX3, plasma selenoprotein P, SELENOP), sex hormones, thyroid function parameters, and other laboratory parameters in patients with PCOS has been undertaken. Therefore we aimed to compare such parameters in women with PCOS and in the control groups, and to investigate the multidimensional interactions between various parameters in PCOS patients and in controls. The subjects were diagnosed either with PCOS (n = 28, 25.4 ± 5.2 y) or with PCOS + Hashimoto disease (n = 13, 27.3 ± 5.6 y). Female patients having normal menses were recruited into the first control group (n = 70, 26.8 ± 7.3 y) or to the second control group comprising women only with Hashimoto disease (n = 10, 26.2 ± 6.9 y). No apparent differences in SSPs between control subjects and patients with PCOS, also complicated with Hashimoto disease, were identified, though such differences were noticeable for total testosterone (tT), sex hormone binding globulin, free androgen index, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and insulin profile. The correlation between tT and DHEAS was found the strongest. The other group of mutually highly and positively correlated parameters consisted of GPX3, follicle stimulating hormone, free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine. All the latter parameters correlated negatively with vitamin D3. SSPs took part in interactions with thyroid hormones, sex hormones and some other parameters, but only for GPX3 such interactions were statistically significant. The significance of these findings remains open for further investigation, particularly in patients with PCOS and/or Hashimoto disease.