Serum Lipocalin-2 as an Insulin Resistance Marker in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

In the 2010 study, researchers found that serum lipocalin-2 levels were significantly higher in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared to a control group with normal ovulatory function, with levels of 54.26±15.58 ng/ml in the PCOS group versus 26.09±7.47 ng/ml in the control group. The study, which included 30 women with PCOS and 30 matched controls, also identified a strong correlation between lipocalin-2 levels and various markers of insulin resistance, such as insulin levels, HOMA-IR, testosterone, and DHEAS. A lipocalin-2 level greater than 39.54 ng/ml was found to predict insulin resistance with 81% sensitivity and 82.1% specificity. These findings suggest that serum lipocalin-2 could serve as a useful marker for insulin resistance in PCOS patients.