The correlation between the concentration of interleukin (IL) 18 in follicular fluid and the pathogenesis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is unclear. Therefore, we tested the IL-18 and IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) levels in follicular fluid (FF) and serum in PCOS women undergoing reproductive measures and to explore their possibly correlation with PCOS. Serum and pooled follicular fluid levels of IL-18, IL-18BP and IL-18/IL-18BP ratios were evaluated in sixty patients with PCOS and sixty women with unexplained infertility undergoing in vitro fertilization. The FF IL-18 levels were increased in PCOS group than the CON group (p < 0.01), and the IL-18 levels were significantly higher in the FF than in serum in PCOS group. Furthermore, the elevated FF IL-18 levels have no correlation with the serum IL-18 levels. Additionally, the expression of IL-18 in the follicular fluid of the overweight PCOS patients was increased compared to the normal weight PCOS patients, while in the overweight patients, FF IL-18 was significantly higher in the PCOS group than in the control group. The FF IL-18 and IL-18BP may have a local involvement in the pathogenesis of PCOS. The PCOS itself and overweight will aggravate the local inflammatory response in the ovary. Further studies are needed to elucidate this issue.

中文翻译：

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体外受精期间无法解释的对PCOS不育的妇女卵巢卵泡液中IL-18和IL-18结合蛋白的浓度。

卵泡液中白介素（IL）18的浓度与多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）的发病机制之间的相关性尚不清楚。因此，我们测试了接受生殖措施的PCOS妇女卵泡液（FF）和血清中IL-18和IL-18结合蛋白（IL-18BP）的水平，并探讨它们与PCOS的可能关系。评估了60例PCOS患者和60例原因不明的不育妇女在体外受精中的血清和合并卵泡液中IL-18，IL-18BP和IL-18 / IL-18BP的比率。PCOS组的FF IL-18水平高于CON组（p <0.01），FFOS的IL-18水平明显高于PCOS组的血清。此外，FF IL-18水平升高与血清IL-18水平无关。另外，与正常体重的PCOS患者相比，超重的PCOS患者的卵泡液中IL-18的表达增加，而在超重的患者中，PCOS组的FF IL-18明显高于对照组。FF IL-18和IL-18BP可能与PCOS的发病机制有关。PCOS本身和超重会加剧卵巢中的局部炎症反应。需要进一步的研究来阐明这个问题。PCOS本身和超重会加剧卵巢中的局部炎症反应。需要进一步的研究来阐明这个问题。PCOS本身和超重会加剧卵巢中的局部炎症反应。需要进一步的研究来阐明这个问题。