Hormonal and Metabolic Effects of Coenzyme Q10 and/or Vitamin E in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effects of a treatment with α-lipoic acid (ALA) associated with two different doses of myo-inositol (MI) on clinical and metabolic features of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Eighty-eight women received the treatment, and 71 among them had complete clinical charts and were considered eligible for this study. All women were treated with 800 mg of ALA per day: 43 patients received 2000 mg of MI and 28 received 1000 mg of MI per day. Menstrual cyclicity, BMI, FSH, LH, estradiol, testosterone, androstenedione, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and insulin response to a 2 h OGTT were evaluated before and after 6 months of treatment. The presence of diabetic relatives (DRs) was investigated. Cycle regularity was improved in 71.2% of women. The improvement of menstrual cyclicity occurred regardless of the state of IR and the presence of DRs of the patients. Women with IR mainly showed a significant improvement of metabolic parameters, while those without IR had significant changes of reproductive hormones. Patients with DRs did not show significant changes after the treatment. 85.7% of women taking 2000 mg of MI reported a higher improvement of menstrual regularity than those taking 1000 mg of MI (50%; p<0.01). In conclusion, ALA + MI positively affects the menstrual regularity of women with PCOS, regardless of their metabolic phenotype, with a more evident effect with a higher dose of MI. This effect seems to be insulin independent. The presence of IR seems to be a predictor of responsivity to the treatment in terms of an improvement of the metabolic profile.

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The Methionine 196 Arginine Polymorphism in Exon 6 of the TNF Receptor 2 Gene (TNFRSF1B) Is Associated with the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Hyperandrogenism

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ◽

10.1210/jcem.87.8.8715 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 87 (8) ◽

pp. 3977-3983 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Belén Peral ◽

José L. San Millán ◽

Roberto Castello ◽

Paolo Moghetti ◽

Héctor F. Escobar-Morreale

Keyword(s):

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽

Inflammatory Cytokines ◽

Untranslated Region ◽

Polycystic Ovary ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Metabolic Effects ◽

Tnf Receptor ◽

Ovary Syndrome ◽

Ca Repeat ◽

Soluble Tnf Receptor

Inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα may play a role in the pathogenesis of common metabolic disorders, including hyperandrogenism and the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The TNF receptor 2 mediates most of the metabolic effects of TNFα. In the present study, we have evaluated serum soluble TNF receptor 2 levels, and several common polymorphisms in the TNF receptor 2 gene (TNFRSF1B), in women presenting with PCOS or hyperandrogenic disorders. Initial studies included 103 hyperandrogenic patients (42 presenting with PCOS) and 36 controls from Spain. The 196R alleles of the M196R (676 T→G) variant in exon 6 of TNFRSF1B, which is in linkage disequilibrium with a CA-repeat microsatellite polymorphism in intron 4 of TNFRSF1B, tended to be more frequent in hyperandrogenic patients than in controls (P = 0.056), reaching statistical significance when the analysis was restricted to include only PCOS patients (P < 0.03). Extended analysis including another 11 hyperandrogenic patients from Spain and 64 patients and 29 controls from Italy confirmed the association between 196R alleles of the M196R variant and hyperandrogenic disorders (P < 0.05), which was maintained when restricting the analysis to PCOS patients (P < 0.02). On the contrary, the 3′-untranslated region (exon 10) variants 1663 G→A, 1668 T→G, and 1690 T→C were not associated with hyperandrogenism. The soluble TNF receptor 2 levels were not different between patients and controls but were increased in obese subjects, compared with lean individuals, and were affected by the interaction between the 1663 G→A and 1668 T→G variants in the 3′-untranslated region of TNFRSF1B. The TNFRSF1B genotype did not influence any clinical or biochemical variable related to hyperandrogenism or insulin sensitivity and was not associated with obesity, both in hyperandrogenic patients and healthy controls considered separately. In conclusion, the M196R (676 T→G) variant in exon 6 of TNFRSF1B is associated with hyperandrogenism and PCOS, further suggesting a role for inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of these disorders.

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