Abstract. Female athletes may experience difficulties in achieving pregnancy due to athletic amenorrhea (AA); however, the underlying mechanisms of AA remain unknown. The present study focuses on the mitochondrial alteration and its function in detecting the possible mechanism of AA. An AA rat model was established by excessive swimming. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, and transmission electron microscopic methods were performed to evaluate the morphological changes of the ovary, immunohistochemical examinations and radioimmunoassays were used to detect the reproductive hormones and corresponding receptors. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to test the mtDNA copy number. PCR and western blot analysis were used to test the expression of ND2. The change of morphological features of the rat ovaries revealed evident abnormalities. Particularly, the features of the mitochondria were markedly altered. In addition, reproductive hormones in the serum and tissues of AA rats were also detected to evaluate the function of the ovaries, and the levels of these hormones were significantly decreased. Furthermore, the mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA) and expression of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) were quantitated by qPCR or western blot analysis. Accordingly, the mtDNA copy number and expression of ND2 expression were markedly reduced in the AA rats. In conclusion, mitochondrial dysfunction in AA may affect the cellular energy supply and, therefore, result in dysfunction of the ovary. Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction may be considered as a possible underlying mechanism for the occurrence of AA.
IntroductionAn increasing number of athletes are suffering from sports-associated diseases in the competitive sports. For professional female athletes, the incidence of athletic amenorrhea (AA) is particularly high, at a rate of 65-69% in athletes such as dancers and distance runners compared with 2-5% in normal women (1). The high AA in female athletes suggests that achieving pregnancy may be challenging. The current treatment methods primarily including increasing weight and decreasing exercise, replenishing vitamins and minerals, and reinforcing strength training (2). The normal menstrual cycle is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, and the ovary is one of the most important organs in this axis (3). Thus, it is important to investigate the underlying mechanism of ovary dysfunction in AA.The mitochondrion is the organelle of energy supply in eukaryotic organisms. Mitochondrial abnormity or dysfunction has been reported to be involved in various diseases (4). To some of these diseases, the dysfunction of mitochondrion is considered as a key mechanism to cause the dysfunction of the organ, thus it was conjectured that the dysfunction of mitochondrion may cause the dysfunction of ovary, which may result in AA. The number of mitochondria and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number may vary among different types of cells and tissues. Furthermore, the mitochondria an...