Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder characterised by endocrine, reproductive and metabolic abnormalities. Despite PCOS being the most common endocrinopathy affecting women of reproductive age, its etiology is poorly understood so there is no cure and symptom-oriented treatment is suboptimal. Elucidation of the underlying mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS would pave the way for the development of new interventions for PCOS. Hyperandrogenism is the most consistent feature observed in PCOS patients, and recently aberrant neuroendocrine signalling and adipose tissue function have been proposed as playing a pathogenic role in the development of experimental PCOS. To investigate the role of adipose tissue and the brain as potential key sites for androgen receptor (AR)-mediated development of PCOS, we combined an adipocyte and brain-specific ARKO knockout (AdBARKO) mouse model with a dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced mouse model of PCOS. Wildtype (WT) and AdBARKO prepubertal mice were implanted with a blank or DHT implant and examined after 12 weeks. In WT control females, DHT exposure induced the PCOS reproductive traits of cycle irregularity, ovulatory dysfunction and reduced follicle health. In contrast, these reproductive features of PCOS were absent in DHT-treated AdBARKO females. The PCOS metabolic characteristics of increased adiposity, adipocyte hypertrophy and hepatic steatosis were induced by DHT in WT females. Despite DHT treatment, AdBARKO females displayed normal white adipose tissue weight, and adipocyte hypertrophy and hepatic steatosis were not evident. However, as with WT mice, DHT treatment induced increased fasting glucose levels in AdBARKO females. These results demonstrate that adipose tissue and the brain are key loci for androgen-mediated actions involved in the developmental origins of PCOS. These findings support targeting adipocyte and neuroendocrine AR-driven pathways in the future development of novel therapeutic strategies for PCOS.
Polycystic ovary syndrome mouse model by prenatal exposure to high anti-Müllerian hormone