Adenosine deaminase-1 (ADA1) regulates the concentration of adenosine as the main modulator of oocyte maturation. There is compelling evidence for the association of ADA1 gene polymorphisms with many diseases but the importance of ADA1 polymorphisms in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has not been studied before. This study investigates serum total ADA activity (tADA), ADA1 and ADA2 isoenzyme activities, and genotype and allele frequencies of G22A and A4223C polymorphisms in healthy and PCOS women. In this case-control study 200 PCOS patients and 200 healthy women were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood and the PCR-RFLP technique was used to determine the G22A and A4223C variants. The genotype frequencies were calculated and the association between polymorphic genotypes and enzyme activities were determined. tADA activity was significantly lower in the PCOS group compared with the control group (27.76±6.0 vs. 39.63±7.48, respectively). PCOS patients also showed reduced activity of ADA1 and ADA2. PCOS was not associated with G22A polymorphism whereas AA, AC, and CC genotypes of A4223C polymorphism were found distributed differently between the control and the PCOS women where the C allele showed a strong protective role for PCOS (odds ratio=1.876, p=0.033). The present study for the first time showed that lower ADA activity may be involved in pathogenesis of PCOS by maintaining a higher concentration of adenosine affecting follicular growth. As a novel finding, we also showed great differences in genotype distribution and allele frequencies of A4223C polymorphism between groups indicating a protective role for C allele against PCOS. AbbreviationsADA: adenosine deaminase PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome PCR-RFLP: polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism tADA: total adenosine deaminase.

No abstract