Present Address: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Sapporo Medical University, South 1 West 16, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8543, Japan.
Sapporo ART clinic, North 7 West 4, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0807, Japan.
J Ovarian Res. 2019 Apr 4;12(1):31. doi: 10.1186/s13048-019-0505-5.
Hyperandrogenism is one of the cardinal symptoms in polycystic ovary syndrome and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome. However, the precise effects and mechanisms of excess androgen during follicular development are still unclear. Here we investigated the effects of androgen on mouse follicle development in vitro. Androgen did not affect the growth of follicles smaller than 160-180 μm in the presence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). However, in the presence of low FSH, androgen supported the growth of follicles larger than 160-180 μm, a size at which growing follicles acquire FSH-dependency. Androgen did not change the mRNA expression of various growth-promoting factors but did increase mRNA expression of the FSH receptor. We suggest that androgen has a positive impact on follicle development by augmentation of the actions of FSH. Therefore, FSH-responsive but FSH-independent follicles grow in the presence of a certain level of FSH or androgen, and androgen compensates for FSH deficiency in FSH-dependent follicles.
高雄激素血症是多囊卵巢综合征的主要症状之一，在多囊卵巢综合征的发病机制中起着关键作用。然而，过量雄激素在卵泡发育过程中的确切作用和机制尚不清楚。在这里，我们研究了雄激素对体外培养的小鼠卵泡发育的影响。在卵泡刺激素 (FSH) 的存在下，雄激素并不影响小于 160-180μm 的卵泡的生长。然而，在低 FSH 的存在下，雄激素支持大于 160-180μm 的卵泡的生长，此时生长中的卵泡获得了对 FSH 的依赖性。雄激素并未改变各种生长促进因子的 mRNA 表达，但增加了 FSH 受体的 mRNA 表达。我们认为，雄激素通过增强 FSH 的作用对卵泡发育产生积极影响。因此，在一定水平的 FSH 或雄激素的存在下，FSH 反应但不依赖 FSH 的卵泡生长，而雄激素则补偿 FSH 依赖性卵泡中 FSH 的缺乏。
