Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8501, Japan.
Department of Renal and Genitourinary Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0808, Japan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul 26;23(15):8207. doi: 10.3390/ijms23158207.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is frequently seen in females of reproductive age and is associated with metabolic disorders that are exacerbated by obesity. Although body weight reduction programs via diet and lifestyle changes are recommended for modifying reproductive and metabolic phenotypes, the drop-out rate is high. Thus, an efficacious, safe, and continuable treatment method is needed. Recent studies have shown that oxytocin (OT) reduces body weight gain and food intake, and promotes lipolysis in some mammals, including humans (especially obese individuals), without any adverse effects. In the present study, we evaluated the changes in endogenous OT levels, and the effects of acute and chronic OT administration on body weight changes, food intake, and fat mass using novel dihydrotestosterone-induced PCOS model rats. We found that the serum OT level was lower in PCOS model rats than in control rats, whereas the hypothalamic OT mRNA expression level did not differ between them. Acute intraperitoneal administration of OT during the dark phase reduced the body weight gain and food intake in PCOS model rats, but these effects were not observed in control rats. In contrast, chronic administration of OT decreased the food intake in both the PCOS model rats and control rats. These findings indicate that OT may be a candidate medicine that is efficacious, safe, and continuable for treating obese PCOS patients.
多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）在育龄女性中较为常见，与肥胖加重的代谢紊乱有关。尽管通过饮食和生活方式改变来减肥的方案推荐用于改善生殖和代谢表型，但退出率很高。因此，需要一种有效、安全且可持续的治疗方法。最近的研究表明，催产素（OT）可减少某些哺乳动物（包括人类，尤其是肥胖个体）的体重增加和食物摄入，并促进脂肪分解，而无任何不良反应。在本研究中，我们使用新型二氢睾酮诱导的 PCOS 模型大鼠评估了内源性 OT 水平的变化，以及急性和慢性 OT 给药对体重变化、食物摄入和脂肪量的影响。我们发现，与对照组大鼠相比，PCOS 模型大鼠的血清 OT 水平较低，而两者的下丘脑 OT mRNA 表达水平无差异。OT 在暗期经腹腔内急性给药可减少 PCOS 模型大鼠的体重增加和食物摄入，但在对照组大鼠中未观察到这些作用。相反，OT 的慢性给药减少了 PCOS 模型大鼠和对照组大鼠的食物摄入。这些发现表明，OT 可能是一种有效、安全且可持续的治疗肥胖 PCOS 患者的候选药物。
