Endocrine Abstracts

Different animal models have been used to study the postnatal effect of a prenatal exposure to an androgen excess on the female offspring. We have established a sheep model to test the hypothesis that the intrauterine environment of the PCOS mother may play a role in the etiology of the PCOS. In this regard, our sheep model for the study of PCOS has the advantage that provides mainly an androgenized milieu to the fetus in comparison to pregnant PCOS women who offers a hyperand...

Insulin resistance is defined as the incapacity of insulin to increase glucose uptake by peripheral tissues (skeletal muscle and adipose tissue principally). This phenomenon is present in different animal models for PCOS by prenatal exposure to androgens. In the PCOS condition, the metabolic pathway of insulin activity is defective in skeletal muscle and adipocyte whereas the activation of steroidogenesis is maintained. The decreased insulin stimulated glucose uptake is due to...

Prenatal and postnatal environment can regulate gene expression through multiple epigenetic mechanisms, being DNA methylation among the most relevant. Metabolic and reproductive function may be modified by this mechanism. Sons born to women with PCOS show altered markers of metabolic and reproductive function during childhood and adulthood. However, these functions have not been studied during puberty. The aim of the present study was to assess the global methylation pattern a...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility in reproductive aged women affecting ~5–10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. PCOS patients are characterized by infertility disorders, obesity, insulin resistance and hyperandrogenemia that persists during pregnancy. This finding allowed to suggest the hypothesis that this intrauterine environment could affect the fetus, reprogramming the insulin sensitivity of the offspring. We have developed...

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation that can be modified during intrauterine and postnatal life. Pregnant women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) present elevated androgen and insulin levels, which can affect the DNA methylation pattern of their offspring. Then, we studied the global DNA methylation pattern (GDNAm) in daughters and sons born to PCOS women compared to controls. Daughters (99 born to PCOS and 87 born to control women) and sons (74 b...

The reprogramming effects of an excess of testosterone during pregnancy in males born to PCOS mothers as well as in animal models for PCOS has been only recently evaluated. We have found in a sheep model of PCOS that prenatal T (PT) excess impact on the testis of adults with increased Sertoli cell (SC) number, decreased sperm count, and reduced germ cell (GC) number. The ontogeny of such disruptions and the mechanisms have not been established. This study addressed the impact ...

PCOS is one of the most common cause of infertility in women during their reproductive years. High proportion of women with PCOS develop IR in peripheral tissues like skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, which may begin at the adolescent years when young women exhibit an increase in circulanting androgens. Studies in women with PCOS and animal models of PCOS have suggested alterations in insulin signaling pathways in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. However, at the present t...