小檗碱通过抑制炎症反应和细胞凋亡对多囊卵巢综合征大鼠发挥保护作用。

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disease of the female reproductive system that seriously affects women's health. Berberine (BBR) has many pharmacological properties and is used as an insulin sensitizer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of BBR on PCOS and explore its related mechanisms. METHODS: Forty-two rats were randomly divided into the following six groups (n = 7 per group): control, control + BBR, PCOS-normal diet (ND), PCOS-ND + BBR, PCOS-high-fat diet (HFD), and PCOS-HFD + BBR. The PCOS rat models were established by injecting rats with dehydroepiandrosterone. Further, the rats were gavaged with BBR (150 mg/kg/d) for 6 weeks. Then, the body weight, HOMA-IR, and testosterone levels of all rats were determined. Cell apoptosis of ovary granulosa cells was determined by a TUNEL assay kit. Real-time quantification PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting were utilized to evaluate the expression of TLR4, LYN, PI3K, Akt, NF-kB, TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, and caspase-3. RESULTS: BBR reduced the levels of insulin resistance and testosterone in PCOS rats. Additionally, the cell apoptosis rate increased significantly in PCOS rats (P < 0.05) and decreased after BBR treatment (P < 0.05). The results of RT-qPCR and western blotting showed that the expression levels of TLR4, LYN, PI3K, Akt, NF-kB, TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, and caspase-3 significantly increased in PCOS rats, while BBR suppressed their expression levels. CONCLUSIONS: BBR may relieve PCOS pathology and IR values by inhibiting cell apoptosis and by regulating the expression levels of TLR4, LYN, PI3K, Akt, NF-kB, TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, and caspase-3.

背景：多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）是一种常见的女性生殖系统内分泌疾病，严重影响妇女的健康。小檗碱（BBR）具有多种药理作用，可用作胰岛素增敏剂。本研究旨在探讨 BBR 对 PCOS 的影响，并探讨其相关机制。

方法：42 只大鼠随机分为以下六组（每组 n = 7）：对照组、对照组+BBR、PCOS-正常饮食（ND）、PCOS-ND+BBR、PCOS-高脂肪饮食（HFD）和 PCOS-HFD+BBR。通过注射脱氢表雄酮建立 PCOS 大鼠模型。进一步，大鼠用 BBR（150 mg/kg/d）灌胃 6 周。然后测定所有大鼠的体重、HOMA-IR 和睾酮水平。用 TUNEL 试剂盒测定卵巢颗粒细胞的细胞凋亡。用实时定量 PCR（RT-qPCR）和蛋白质印迹法评估 TLR4、LYN、PI3K、Akt、NF-kB、TNF-α、IL-1、IL-6 和 caspase-3 的表达。

结果：BBR 降低了 PCOS 大鼠的胰岛素抵抗和睾酮水平。此外，PCOS 大鼠的细胞凋亡率显著增加（P < 0.05），BBR 治疗后降低（P < 0.05）。RT-qPCR 和蛋白质印迹法的结果表明，TLR4、LYN、PI3K、Akt、NF-kB、TNF-α、IL-1、IL-6 和 caspase-3 的表达水平在 PCOS 大鼠中显著升高，而 BBR 抑制了它们的表达水平。

结论：BBR 可能通过抑制细胞凋亡和调节 TLR4、LYN、PI3K、Akt、NF-kB、TNF-α、IL-1、IL-6 和 caspase-3 的表达水平来缓解 PCOS 病理和 IR 值。