Accumulation of dietary glycotoxins in the reproductive system of normal female rats.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether dietary advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) can be detected in the ovarian tissue of normal female rats and whether they can affect their metabolic or hormonal profile. Sixty normal rats (20 animals in each group) were randomly assigned to regular diet, either high (H-AGE) or low (L-AGE) in AGE content for 6 months. H-AGE rats demonstrated higher levels of fasting glucose (P < 0.001), insulin (P < 0.069), and serum AGEs (P < 0.001) than control and L-AGE rats. Additionally, the H-AGE group showed increased AGE localization in the theca interna cells of the ovarian tissue compared to control/L-AGE rats (P = 0.003). Furthermore, increased receptor for AGE (RAGE) staining was also observed in granulosa cells compared to control/L-AGE samples (P = 0.038). In the H-AGE group, plasma testosterone was higher than in control rats (P < 0.001) and in the L-AGE group (P < 0.001). However, H-AGE rats did not exhibit higher body weight compared with normal (P = 0.118) and L-AGE-fed rats (P = 0.35). These results demonstrate for the first time that administration of high AGE diet in female rats for a prolonged period is associated with increased deposition of AGEs in the theca cells and of RAGE in the granulosa and theca interna cells of the ovarian tissue compared with the corresponding ovarian compartments of the control and L-AGE-fed animals. The metabolic alterations in conjuction with the increased deposition in ovarian tissues of dietary glycotoxins and elevated levels of testosterone in H-AGE-fed animals compared to the controls suggest an impact of environmental factors on ovarian tissue and these findings need further exploration.