Mol. Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on June 29, 2006
Molecular Human Reproduction 2006 12(8):475-481; doi:10.1093/molehr/gal057
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The mechanisms involved in the action of metformin in regulating ovarian function in hyperandrogenized mice
1Laboratorio de Fisio-patología Ovárica, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO), Facultad de Medicina (UBA), Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET) and 2Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Paraguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina
3 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Laboratorio de Fisio-patología Ovárica, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO), Facultad de Medicina (UBA), Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Paraguay 2155, (1121) Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-mail: aliciabmotta{at}yahoo.com.ar
The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms by which N,N'-dimethylbiguanide metformin (50 mg/100 g body weight (BW) in 0.05 ml of water, given orally with a cannula) prevents the ovarian disorders provoked by the hyperandrogenization with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in prepuberal BALB/c mice. The injection of DHEA (6 mg/100 g BW in 0.1 ml of oil) for 20 consecutive days re-creates a mouse model that resembles some aspects of the human polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The treatment with DHEA increased ovarian oxidative stress because it enhanced lipid peroxidation (LPO) and diminished both catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione (GSH) content. Therefore, the treatment with DHEA diminished both ovarian nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and prostaglandin E (PGE) production. When metformin was administered together with DHEA, the ovarian GSH content, NOS activity and PGE production did not differ when compared with controls. However, metformin was not able to prevent the effect of DHEA on ovarian LPO or CAT activity. Finally, DHEA increased the ovarian protein expressions of inducible NOS (iNOS), inducible cyclooxygenase (COX2) and the phosphorylated AMP-depen-dent kinase
(AMPK-
) (Thr172). Metformin administered together with DHEA was able to prevent the increase of ovarian iNOS and COX2 expressions and to enhance the activation of phosphorylated AMPK-
expression.
Key words:
AMP-dependent kinase
/cyclooxygenase/dehydroepiandrosterone/polycystic ovary syndrome
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
E. Diamanti-Kandarakis, C. D Christakou, E. Kandaraki, and F. N Economou Metformin: an old medication of new fashion: evolving new molecular mechanisms and clinical implications in polycystic ovary syndrome Eur. J. Endocrinol., February 1, 2010; 162(2): 193 - 212. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
V. A Sander, G. B Facorro, L. Piehl, E. Rubin de Celis, and A. B Motta Effect of DHEA and metformin on corpus luteum in mice Reproduction, September 1, 2009; 138(3): 571 - 579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
E. M. Elia, D. Belgorosky, M. Faut, S. Vighi, C. Pustovrh, D. Luigi, and A. B. Motta The effects of metformin on uterine tissue of hyperandrogenized BALB/c mice Mol. Hum. Reprod., July 1, 2009; 15(7): 421 - 432. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Palomba, A. Falbo, F. Zullo, and F. Orio Jr. Evidence-Based and Potential Benefits of Metformin in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review Endocr. Rev., February 1, 2009; 30(1): 1 - 50. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. Tosca, S. Uzbekova, C. Chabrolle, and J. Dupont Possible Role of 5'AMP-Activated Protein Kinase in the Metformin-Mediated Arrest of Bovine Oocytes at the Germinal Vesicle Stage During In Vitro Maturation Biol Reprod, September 1, 2007; 77(3): 452 - 465. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||




