Berberine exerts a protective effect on rats with polycystic ovary syndrome by inhibiting the inflammatory response and cell apoptosis

Abstract

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.

Leptin Signalling in the Ovary of Diet-Induced Obese Mice Regulates Activation of Nod-Like Receptor Protein 3 Inflammasome

“…He, Hara, and Núñez 2016). Our results evidencing NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the ovaries of 4 wk HFD treatment are in line with previous reports showing the accumulation of proinflammatory mediators in the ovary after short term (6 wk HFD) dietary protocols (Shen, Xu, and Li 2021). Indeed, we presently observed the upregulation of IL-18 protein, as well as increased mRNA of Tnf (data not shown), after 4 wk HFD underscoring the mounting inflammatory response.…”

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Chronic Inflammation in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

“…Plant-delivered alkaloid berberine has been shown to reduce levels of IR and testosterone in PCOS-induced rats. Additionally, beneficial effects were observed for the expression of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and NF-kB, also suggesting anti-inflammatory activities [98]. There are many reports providing a positive effect on PCOS and related morbidities after treatment with traditional herbal medicine [99,100]; however, since the exact active compounds are not specified, we will not cover them in this review and interested readers can follow the cited publications.…”

Berberine Improves the Symptoms of DHEA-Induced PCOS Rats by Regulating Gut Microbiotas and Metabolites

“…Herein, the IR-related indices, testosterone level, and ovarian morphology changes were evaluated according to our previous study [21]. As shown in Figure 1a-d, the body weight, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR index in the HFD group were higher than those in NCD groups, indicating that the rats in the HFD group had IR.…”