Endocrine Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder, affecting 10–18% of women of reproductive age. Based on the Rotterdam consensus, PCOS is diagnosed by at least two of the following three criteria: oligo- or anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. PCOS is also a metabolic disorder since many affected women present with obesity, insulin resistance and associated metabolic comorbidities. Despite its prevale...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women in their reproductive age. Based on the Rotterdam criteria PCOS is diagnosed by at least two out of the following three criteria: hyperandrogenism, oligo/anovulation, and polycystic ovaries. To date, the underlying cause of PCOS remains unknown, although the elevated androgen levels are suggested to play an important role in the development of PCOS. In addition to ovarian dysfunction, women with PC...

Objective: Recently rare heterozogous AMH genetic variants have been identified in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that result in reduced AMH signaling. However, the exact functional mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, we have performed functional analyses to analyze the processing, secretion and signaling of these PCOS-specific AMH rare variants.Methods: Six PCOS-specific AMH variants containing mutations (V12G, P151S, P270S, P352S, P362S,...

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels strongly correlate with the number of antral follicles in the ovary. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), this is reflected by significantly increased serum AMH levels. AMH levels are therefore suggested as a proxy for polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM) in PCOS diagnosis. Different assays are available to measure serum AMH levels. However, lack of a golden standard and the use of different antibodies to detect AMH, have led t...

Binge-eating disorder is the most prevalent eating disorder diagnosed, affecting three times more women than men. It is characterised by binge-eating episodes: the rapid consumption of a large amount of food, without needing the calories. The gut hormone ghrelin stimulates appetite and reward signalling, and loss of its receptor reduces binge-eating behaviour in male mice. We aimed to examine the influence of ghrelin itself on binge-eating behaviour in mice of both sexes. 5-we...

Objective: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) has recently been evaluated as a marker for follicle reserve and as a new marker for ovarian function in women. In the male, it is produced in Sertoli cells (SC) in the testis. We evaluated serum levels of AMH as a marker of SC function and male fertility by comparing normo- and oligozoospermic men.Materials and methods: Serum levels of AMH were determined by enzyme immunoassay in two groups of men with normal...

Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) has an important regulatory role both in early folliculogenesis (inhibiting the recruitment of follicles from the primordial pool into the growing phase) and at the antral stage (where it inhibits the action of FSH). In the mouse, AMH action appears to be mediated by a heterodimeric receptor complex comprising a type I receptor and the specific AMH receptor AMHRII, which is essential for AMH signalling in the murine ovary. Post-receptor signalling ...

Introduction: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used anti-inflammatory medications that cause many metabolic side effects. Long-term treatment with GCs causes obesity and induces insulin resistance in many metabolic tissues, including adipose tissue and muscle. Factors secreted by adipose tissue, so-called adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin, also regulate the glucose-insulin axis. Obesity increases circulating leptin but decreases adiponectin levels. Despite several s...

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting 6-15% of women of reproductive age. The syndrome is characterised by a variety of reproductive and metabolic features, including hyperandrogenism, chronic anovulation and hirsutism as well as insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Specifically regarding NAFLD, androgen excess is hypothesised to have a direct effect on hepatic lipid storage, thus...

Introduction: Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is a G-protein-coupled receptor expressed in regions of the hypothalamus regulating appetite and energy expenditure. Extensive evidence from genetic and biological studies show that MC4R is a key player in the homeostatic regulation of body weight. MC4R loss of function (LoF) variants are the most common cause of monogenic obesity. We have identified 13 heterozygous MC4R variants in patients with obesity at our academic Obesity Cent...