Endocrine Abstracts

Continuous administration of 400 μg/day of letrozole (LET), a non-steroidal inhibitor of P450 aromatase, with start pre-pubertally to female rats, induces hyperandrogenemia and reproductive abnormalities similar to those observed in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, these rats do not develop metabolic abnormalities, despite high circulating testosterone. A possible explanation may be that the dose was too high and thus completely inhibited the estrogen...

Both low-frequency electro-acupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture improve menstrual frequency and decrease circulating androgens in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We sought to determine whether low-frequency EA is more effective than manual stimulation in regulating disturbed estrous cyclicity in rats with PCOS induced by 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). To identify the central mechanisms of the effects of stimulation, we assessed hypothalamic mRNA expression ...