Effects of combined oral contraceptives on steroids and lipidomics in newborns of mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the landscape of steroid hormone and lipidomics profiles in umbilical cord blood (UCB) from hyperandrogenic women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treated with combined oral contraceptives (COC)?

DESIGN

This experimental prospective cohort study included 48 pregnant women without preconception obesity. Sixteen women treated with COC formed the hyperandrogenism with intervention PCOS group (HA-I), eight were included in the hyperandrogenic PCOS (HA) group and 24 were included in the non-PCOS control group (Con). UCB was collected for steroid hormone and widely targeted lipidomics profiling by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Significant differential metabolites (SDM) were identified using a fold change of ≥1.5 or ≤0.67.

RESULTS

Among 16 steroid hormones detected, oestrogen, progesterone and corticosteroid hormones were up-regulated in the HA-I group. No significant difference in the concentration of androgens was found between the groups. Among 804 lipid metabolites detected, prostaglandin E2 was up-regulated in the HA-I group compared with both the Con (fold change 2.65) and HA (fold change 3.34) groups. Bile acid (glycochenodeoxycholic acid) was down-regulated in the HA group compared with the Con group (fold change 0.46). Carnitine C5-OH concentration in the treated group was close to that in the Con group. Down-regulated SDM in the HA group were involved in processes related to atherosclerosis, cholesterol metabolism and insulin resistance. Up-regulated SDM in the HA-I group were associated with sphingolipid metabolism and toxoplasmosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Oestrogen, progesterone and corticosteroids concentrations were elevated in UCB from hyperandrogenic women with PCOS receiving COC, and up-regulated SDM of lipids were enriched in pathways involving atherosclerosis and cholesterol metabolism.