Response of VEGF and AT-II to HCG in PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Angiotensin-Ⅱ; Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

This research is to investigate the response of vascular active factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiotensin-Ⅱ (AT-Ⅱ) to ovary stimulation during 24h in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Controled prospective clinical study involved 60 women undergoing in vitro fertilization. Fifty-two patients with PCOS and 8 control cases were stimulated with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (4st to 7th days of the cycle).The blood was sampled before the injection (0 hour) and at the 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours points after the stimulation. VEGF, AT-Ⅱ were measured by radioimmunoassay.

After ovary stimulation, the level of VEGF in typical PCOS patients is obviously increased at the 3hs time point (p\<0.05), while there is no difference with VEGF at all other time point among the four groups. As for AT-Ⅱ, before and after the ovary stimulation, at all time points, the AT-Ⅱ levels in serum of patients with different phenotypes of PCOS by Rotterdam criteria are all higher than the controls without PCOS. After the ovary stimulation, AT-Ⅱ in typical PCOS patients is obviously increased at 3hs time point, p\<0.05. The response of VEGF and AT-Ⅱ to HCG in women with typical PCOS is higher in 24 hours after the stimulation during the early follicular phase. The response to the stimulation is different in patients with different phenotypes of PCOS by Rotterdam criteria. Serum VEGF and AT-Ⅱ levels as a possible contributor to a great risk of developing OHSS in patients with typical PCOS during the early follicular phase in 24 hours after the ovary stimulation.