Analysis of oxidative stress status through MN test and serum MDA levels in PCOS women

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a multifactorial reproductive healthcare problem affecting 4-12% of women and a leading cause of female infertility worldwide. The potential genetic contributors of PCOS are unclear. However, over the past decade emerging evidence has shown that increased Oxidative Stress (OS) and decreased antioxidant status were often linked with PCOS. The present case-control study was aimed to assess the reactive oxygen species induced OS in women from South India. A total of 164 individuals comprising of 89 patients and 75 controls were enrolled in the present study. For all the subjects, the frequency of micronucleated cells (MNC) in epithelial samples and serum Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were estimated to assess genomic instability and cytotoxicity respectively. A statistically significant difference between the groups were identified with respect to Body Mass Index, Waist to Hip Ratio, luteinizing hormone and prolactin levels (< 0.05), however the mean follicle stimulating hormone was not different between the groups (p = 0.055). The frequency of MN cells (5.89 ± 4.86 vs. 2.24 ± 2.01) and mean serum MDA (360.84 ± 87.08 vs. 301.70 ± 82.82) levels were considerably higher in patients than controls (p = < 0.0001), furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between MNC and MDA levels in patients (r = 0.349, p = 0.0008) and not in controls (r = 0.104, p = 0.37), suggest high OS in PCOS women. Therefore, MN assay and serum MDA levels may serve together or individually as biomarkers of OS in PCOS women.