Asprosin levels in women with and without the polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at summarizing the evidence concerning circulating asprosin, and related endocrine and metabolites in women with and without the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Method: We performed a comprehensive literature search in Pubmed, Web of Science, Scielo, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure for studies published until May 20, 2022, that evaluated circulating asprosin levels in women with and without PCOS, regardless of language. The quality of studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects models were used to estimate mean differences (MD) or standardized MD (SMD) and their 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: We evaluated eight studies reporting 1,050 PCOS cases and 796 controls of reproductive age. Participants with PCOS were younger (MD = −2.40 years, 95% CI −2.46 to −2.33), with higher values of asprosin (SMD = 2.57, 95% CI 1.64–3.50), insulin (SMD = 2.73, 95% CI 1.18–4.28), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (SMD = 2.70, 95% CI 0.85–4.55), luteinizing hormone (SMD = 2.33, 95% CI 0.60–4.06), total testosterone (SMD = 4.06, 95% CI 1.89–6.22), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (SMD = 2.38, 95% CI 0.37–4.40), and triglycerides (SMD = 1.20, 95% CI 0.13 to 2.27). Moreover, PCOS women had lower circulating levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SMD = −3.36, 95% CI −4.92 to −1.80), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (SMD = −0.85, 95% CI −1.69 to −0.01); with no significant differences observed for glucose, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. Conclusion: Circulating asprosin levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS as compared to those without the syndrome.