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BACKGROUND: Carnitine plays essential roles in energy production, oxidative stress and glucose metabolism. This study was planned to determine serum total L-carnitine levels in non-obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHODS: There were 27 non-obese women with PCOS and 30 healthy, age- and body mass index (BMI) matched controls were evaluated in this controlled clinical study. Serum lipid sub-fractions, fasting glucose, insulin and other hormones (gonadotrophins, androgens) and total L-carnitine levels were measured. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) was used to estimate insulin resistance.

RESULTS: The women with PCOS had significantly higher serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, total testosterone, free androgen index (FAI), luteinizing hormone (LH), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR measurement and LH/FSH ratios than healthy women. However, total L-carnitine and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels were significantly lower in women with PCOS. L-Carnitine level was negatively correlated with FAI, but positively correlated with SHBG. Multiple regression analysis revealed that SHBG was a strong predictor of serum total L-carnitine level.

CONCLUSIONS: Decreased total L-carnitine levels may be associated with hyperandrogenism and/or insulin resistance in non-obese women with PCOS. Long-term studies are needed to evaluate carnitine metabolism in PCOS, especially with regard to the molecular basis.

(C) European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.