科研之友
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摘要
Background: Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (AMK) is a tonic herb widely prescribed in most Asian countries, which has been clinically used as the dominant herb in most of the Chinese medicinal formula of treating polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Objective: To explore the effects of a polar extract of AMK (EAMK) in a hyperandrogenic rat model of PCOS induced by testosterone propionate. Material and methods: Sixty rats were randomly allocated to five groups of 12: healthy controls; untreated PCOS; three groups of treated PCOS (high, medium and low-dose EAMK). PCOS was induced with a single injection of testosterone propionate on the ninth day after birth. The plasma levels of total testosterone (TT), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), androstenedione, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), antimullerian hormone (AMH) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The expression of FSH receptors (FSHR) and aquaporin-9 (AQP-9) in the ovaries of the rats was measured by real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. We also measured the expression of FSHR and AQP-9 in human ovarian granulosa-like KGN cells, control and EAMK-treated, in the absence and presence of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Results: EMAK significantly improved the estrous cycles, decreased the plasma levels of TT, FAI and androstenedione of the PCOS rats in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01) and the EAMK groups displayed significantly higher plasma FSH levels and lower LH/FSH and AMH levels than the PCOS control group (P < 0.001). In a dose-dependent manner, the EAMK treatments significantly decreased the FSHR expression levels and increased AQP-9 expression both in the ovaries of PCOS rats (P < 0.001) and in the KGN cells treated with DHT (P < 0.001). Conclusions: EAMK alleviates the PCOS rats' hyperandrogenism and regulates the ovarian expression of FSHR and AQP-9.
