Therapeutic effects of isoflavone-aglycone fraction from soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) in rats with estradiol valerate-induced polycystic ovary syndrome as an inflammatory state

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most widely recognized endocrine disorders affecting reproductive-age women. The etiopathogenesis and mechanisms of this syndrome remain unclear. Diagnosis requires two of the following: polycystic ovaries, oligo- or anovulation, and hyperandrogenism. Most women with PCOS display conditions such as metabolic abnormalities, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and/or bone dysfunction. Considering the ethical limitations of human studies, animal and cell culture models that reflect some features of PCOS are important for investigation of this syndrome. The aim of the present work was to study some of the endocrine relationships between ovaries and bone tissue in a polycystic ovary syndrome animal model. The study was performed using an estradiol valerate PCOS-induced rat model (n = 30) and bone mesenchymal stem cell cultured from bone marrow of those animals. It was hypothesized that changes of the endocrine relationship between ovaries and bones could be observed in from in vivo animal model and in vitro cell culture assays. The ovarian morphological and endocrine changes seem to be correlated with endocrine, biophysical, and biomechanical changes in bone properties. Mesenchymal stem cells obtained from PCOS-induced rats, cultured for up to 21 days and differentiated into osteoblasts, presented lower viability and reduced mineralization of the extracellular matrix. Taken together, these results indicate important endocrine and structural effects of PCOS in ovaries and bones, contributing to part of the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of PCOS.

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Inflammation and reproductive function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Biology of Reproduction ◽

10.1093/biolre/ioab050 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Leandro M Velez ◽

Marcus Seldin ◽

Alicia B Motta

Keyword(s):

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽

Chronic Inflammation ◽

Polycystic Ovary ◽

Essential Feature ◽

Reproductive Function ◽

Cardiovascular Complications ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Metabolic Abnormalities ◽

Ovary Syndrome ◽

Inflammatory State

Abstract Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most frequent endocrinopathies, affecting 5–10% of women of reproductive age, and is characterized by the presence of ovarian cysts, oligo, or anovulation, and clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism [1]. Metabolic abnormalities such as hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, cardiovascular complications, dyslipidemia, and obesity are frequently present in PCOS women [1]. Several key pathogenic pathways overlap between these metabolic abnormalities, notably chronic inflammation. The observation that this mechanism was shared led to the hypothesis that a chronic inflammatory state could contribute to the pathogenesis of PCOS [2]. Moreover, while physiological inflammation is an essential feature of reproductive events such as ovulation, menstruation, implantation, and labour at term [3], the establishment of chronic inflammation may be a pivotal feature of the observed reproductive dysfunctions in PCOS women [2]. Taken together, the present work aims to review the available evidence about inflammatory mediators and related mechanisms in women with PCOS, with an emphasis on reproductive function.

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