Context: Sex hormones, particularly androgens, may influence not only adipose tissue distribution but also its functions.
Objective: We explored the possibility of sexual dimorphism in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle function.
Design: This was a case-control study.
Setting: The setting was an academic hospital.
Participants: Participants were severely obese men (n = 7), control women (n = 7), and hyperandrogenic women presenting with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (n = 7) submitting to bariatric surgery and an independent series of 40 patients with PCOS and 40 control women matched for age and body mass index.
Interventions: Samples of subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and skeletal muscle were obtained during bariatric surgery in severely obese subjects.
Main outcome measures: Gene expression of chemerin, lipocalin-2, and omentin-1 in tissue samples was measured. We analyzed the effects of PCOS and obesity on serum concentrations of these adipokines in the larger series of women with PCOS and in control women.
Results: Expression of chemerin and lipocalin-2 was higher in VAT than in SAT in men and women with PCOS; the opposite was observed in control women. Omentin-1 expression was higher in VAT than in SAT in the three groups. No differences were observed in the skeletal muscle expression of these adipokines. Obesity increased serum chemerin and lipocalin-2 levels and tended to decrease omentin-1, irrespective of PCOS.
Conclusions: The present results suggest that there is sexual dimorphism in some adipose tissue functions and that this dimorphism may be related to differences in androgen concentrations because women with PCOS show a masculinized pattern of expression of some adipokines.