At present, the association between
adiponectin and
sex hormones in women is controversial. Recent studies suggest that it is high-molecular weight (HMW)
adiponectin and the HMW to total
adiponectin ratio rather than total
adiponectin that are associated with antiatherogenic activities,
insulin sensitivity,
metabolic syndrome, and prediction of cardiovascular events. The present study aimed to investigate whether measuring HMW
adiponectin and the HMW to total
adiponectin ratio rather than total
adiponectin might be more useful to detect an association between circulating female sex
steroids and
adipocytokines. In a clinical trial, we investigated the associations of total
adiponectin, HMW
adiponectin, and the HMW to
adiponectin ratio with several
androgens and
estradiol in 36 healthy premenopausal women with regular cycles. No association between the investigated
sex hormones and
adiponectin was observed. The HMW
adiponectin was negatively correlated with
estradiol after adjustment for age and body mass index. The HMW to total
adiponectin ratio was significantly negatively associated with
testosterone, free
testosterone, and
androstenedione. The
testosterone to
estradiol ratio, as a parameter for the
estrogen-
androgen balance, was not associated with
adiponectin or the HMW
isoform. In conclusion, there is a negative association between
estradiol and HMW
adiponectin, and between
testosterone, free
testosterone, and
androstenedione and the HMW to
adiponectin ratio. Thus, one mechanism whereby female sex
steroids may influence the cardiovascular risk of women could be alteration of the relationship between HMW and total
adiponectin concentrations in plasma.