serum levels of angiopoietin-like protein 6 (angptl6) in iranian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: infertility and miscarriage are common complications in women with pcos, and may be linked with metabolic status and thyroid function. however, the role of angptl6 in pcos-related infertility and miscarriage remains underexplored. study assessed serum angptl6 levels in iranian pcos patients and its association with miscarriage, infertility, and thyroid dysfunction. methods: this case-control study included 116 pcos women (58 with infertility, 58 with a history of miscarriage) and 58 non-pcos controls. the measurement of angptl6, adiponectin, fasting insulin, and other hormonal parameters were measured using elisa. parametric data were analyzed with t-tests and anova, and non-parametric data with mann-whitney and kruskal-wallis tests. correlations were assessed using pearson and spearman tests. logistic regression was used predicted pcos risk. a p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. results: angptl6 levels were significantly higher in the pcos group (48.72± 21.41 ng/ml) and the pcos-miscarriage subgroup (50.16±19.57 ng/ml) compared to the non-pcos group (41.56±14.74 ng/ml). t4 levels were significantly lower in the pcos group (2.5±1.9 μg/dl) compared to controls (3.9±4.6 μg/dl, p<0.001). no significant correlation was found between angptl6 and thyroid function tests. a positive correlation was observed between angptl6 and adiponectin in the pcos group (p<0.01). logistic regression showed a significant association between angptl6 and the risk of pcos (or: 1.02, 95%ci: 1.002-1.038), even after adjusting for age, body mass index (bmi), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (homa-ir). conclusion: elevated angptl6 levels were correlated with pcos. future research is needed to explore the molecular pathways linking angptl6 to pcos and its interaction with metabolic biomarkers.