Expression of Ghrelin gene in ovarian granulosa cells of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Abstract:

Objective：To determine the expression of Ghrelin gene in ovarian granulosa cells（GCs） of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome（PCOS） and to discuss the relationship between them． Methods：GCs were obtained at the time of oocyte retrieval from a total of 47 women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer（IVF-ET） treatment due to male factors or tubal factors. Eleven PCOS women were taken as PCOS group and 36 non-PCOS women as control group. The expression of Ghrelin mRNA was measured by real-time PCR and Western blot was used to detect the expression of Ghrelin protein in GCs. Results：The expression of Ghrelin mRNA in GCs was significantly lower in PCOS group than in control group（t=2.73，P=0.015） and the expression of Ghrelin protein in GCs was also significantly lower in PCOS group than in control group（t=7.82，P=0.001）. Conclusion：The mRNA and protein expressions of Ghrelin in GCs are significantly lower in women with PCOS than in non-PCOS women，suggesting that Ghrelin may be involved in the disturbance of follicular development in PCOS.