Effect of sex hormones on lipid peroxidation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, healthy women, and men

Recently, the influence of free radicals and lipid peroxides on many diseas es, the effect of sex hormones on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant effect s of estrogens have received considerable interest. In the present study we aimed to investigate the relationship between sex hormones and both lipid peroxidation and glutathione content in women with polycystic ovary syndrom e (POS), in healthy women and in healthy men. We measured levels of lipid p eroxides and sex hormones in plasma and levels of glutathione in erythrocyt es of all cases. We evaluated the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive sub stances (TBARS) as an index of lipid peroxides and erythrocyte glutathione level as an index of antioxidant. We found that plasma levels of free testo sterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and estradiol significantly higher in the women with POS group than in the healthy women group. There was no significant difference in the levels of both plasma TBARS and erythr ocyte glutathione, between women with POS group and healthy women group. Pl asma DHEAS levels of healthy men and women with POS were similar. Plasma TB ARS level was higher and erythrocyte glutathione level was lower in the hea lthy men group than in both the healthy women group and in the women with P OS group. These data imply that testosterone has an oxidant effect. DHEAS w hich is an antioxidant, has a protective role in females with POS. Estrogen s have an antioxidant effect but this action changes according to its domin ant degradation pathway.