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Jiang NX, Zhao WJ, Shen HR, Du DF, Li XL. Hyperinsulinemia impairs decidualization via AKT-NR4A1 signaling: new insight into polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-related infertility. J Ovarian Res 2024; 17:31. [PMID: 38310251 PMCID: PMC10837998 DOI: 10.1186/s13048-023-01334-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for endometrial dysfunction in women with PCOS is essential, particularly focusing on the role of hyperinsulinemia. METHODS We explored the role of insulin in the decidualization process using a synthetic decidualization assay. To dissect the effects of PI3K/AKT-NR4A signaling, we employed small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting the NR4A genes and inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT pathway. We also investigated the disruption of AKT-NR4A1 signaling in the endometrium of PCOS female rats induced with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB) analyses were utilized to evaluate gene expression regulation. RESULTS Insulin was found to suppress the expression of decidualization markers in human endometrial stromal cells (hESC) in a dose-dependent manner, concurrently triggering an inappropriate activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Members of the NR4A family, as downstream effectors in the PI3K/AKT pathway, were implicated in the insulin-induced disruptions during the decidualization process. Moreover, the endometrium of PCOS models showed significantly elevated levels of phosphorylated (Ser473) AKT, with a corresponding reduction in Nr4a1 protein. CONCLUSIONS Our research demonstrates that insulin negatively regulates decidualization in hESC via the PI3K/AKT-NR4A pathway. In vivo analysis revealed a significant dysregulation of the AKT-NR4A1 pathway in the endometrium of PCOS rats. These findings offer novel insights into the pathogenesis of infertility and endometrial disorders associated with hyperinsulinemia in PCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Xing Jiang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei-Jie Zhao
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao-Ran Shen
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan-Feng Du
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xue-Lian Li
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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Pirchio R, Auriemma RS, Grasso LFS, Verde N, Garifalos F, Castoro M, Conforti A, Menafra D, Pivonello C, de Angelis C, Minnetti M, Alviggi C, Corona G, Colao A, Pivonello R. Fertility in Acromegaly: A Single-Center Experience of Female Patients During Active Disease and After Disease Remission. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2023; 108:e583-e593. [PMID: 36790068 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgad042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Fertility represents a major concern in patients with acromegaly. OBJECTIVE The current retrospective study aimed to investigate gonadal function and fertility rates in acromegalic women. METHODS In this referral-center study, 50 acromegalic women with disease onset within reproductive age were evaluated for prevalence of gonadal dysfunction and infertility. Anthropometric, metabolic, hormonal parameters, and gynecological ultrasound were evaluated at diagnosis and after disease control. Data about menstrual disturbances, pregnancy, and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) were investigated at disease onset, at diagnosis, and after disease control. RESULTS At presumed disease onset, menstrual disturbances were reported in 32% of patients. Uterine leiomyoma, ovarian cysts, and PCOM were diagnosed in 18%, 12%, and 8%, respectively; 36.8% of patients were infertile. At diagnosis, menstrual disturbances were found in 58.1% (P = .02), being significantly more prevalent in patients with higher insulin-like growth factor-I quartiles (Q) (P = .03, Q1 vs Q4). Gynecological ultrasound revealed uterine leiomyoma, ovarian cysts, and PCOM in 39.1% (P = .04), 28.2% (P = .09), and 13% (P = .55), respectively. The infertility rate was 100% (P = .02). At disease control, menstrual disturbances were slightly decreased as compared to diagnosis (P = .09). Noteworthy, menstrual disturbances (P = .05) and particularly amenorrhea (P = .03) were significantly more frequent in patients with active disease duration greater than 5 years (median) as compared to those achieving disease control in less than 5 years. Among patients with pregnancy desire, 73.3% conceived at least once, with resulting infertility significantly decreased compared to diagnosis (26.7%; P = .01). At-term deliveries, preterm deliveries, and spontaneous abortions were recorded in 86.7%, 6.6%, and 6.6%, respectively, of the 15 pregnancies reported by the patients. No neonatal malformations and/or abnormalities were recorded. CONCLUSION Gonadal dysfunction and infertility are common in acromegalic women within reproductive age, being directly influenced by disease status and/or duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Pirchio
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Renata S Auriemma
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Ludovica F S Grasso
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Nunzia Verde
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Garifalos
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Michele Castoro
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Conforti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ostetriche, Ginecologiche, Urologiche e Medicina della Riproduzione, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Davide Menafra
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia Pivonello
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Cristina de Angelis
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Marianna Minnetti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Alviggi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ostetriche, Ginecologiche, Urologiche e Medicina della Riproduzione, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni Corona
- UO Endocrinologia, Azienda AUSL Bologna, 40133 Bologna, Italy
| | - Annamaria Colao
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
- UNESCO Chair for Health Education and Sustainable Development, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Rosario Pivonello
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Università Federico II di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
- UNESCO Chair for Health Education and Sustainable Development, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Hu YJ, Chen YZ, Zhu YM, Huang HF. Letrozole stimulation in endometrial preparation for cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a pilot study. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2014; 80:283-9. [PMID: 23808904 DOI: 10.1111/cen.12280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Revised: 04/02/2013] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the efficiency of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, in endometrial preparation for cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN Retrospective observational study. PATIENTS One hundred and twenty patients with PCOS who met the inclusion criteria for the study. MEASUREMENTS We assessed in vitro fertilization outcomes in one hundred and twenty patients with PCOS (148 cycles) who were prepared for and underwent FET between June 2011 and December 2012. Patients were prepared for FET using artificial hormone cycles induced with oestrogen and progesterone supplementation (n = 76), letrozole stimulation (n = 40) or hMG stimulation (n = 32). RESULTS There were no differences in demographic characteristics between the groups, except that the letrozole group had a higher incidence of embryo transfer failure in the past. The letrozole stimulation group had a significantly higher maximal endometrial thickness and significantly higher rates of clinical pregnancy per transfer, ongoing pregnancy per transfer and implantation, compared with the artificial and hMG stimulation groups. Differences in these parameters between the artificial and hMG stimulation groups were not significant. CONCLUSION Using letrozole stimulation in endometrial preparation for cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer in patients with PCOS may be associated with better outcomes than using hormonal manipulation or hMG stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Jun Hu
- Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Velazquez MA, Hermann D, Kues WA, Niemann H. Increased apoptosis in bovine blastocysts exposed to high levels of IGF1 is not associated with downregulation of the IGF1 receptor. Reproduction 2011; 141:91-103. [DOI: 10.1530/rep-10-0336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The hypothesis that high concentrations of IGF1 can impair embryo development was investigated in a bovine in vitro model to reflect conditions in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. Embryos were either cultured in the absence or presence of a physiological (100 ng/ml) or supraphysiological (1000 ng/ml) IGF1 concentration. Cell allocation, apoptosis, transcript and protein expression of selected genes involved in apoptosis, glucose metabolism and the IGF system were analysed. Supraphysiological IGF1 concentration did not improve blastocyst formation over controls, but induced higher levels of apoptosis, decreased TP53 protein expression in the trophectoderm and increased the number of cells in the inner cell mass (ICM). The increase in ICM cells corresponded with an increase in IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) protein in the ICM. A small, but significant, percentage of blastocysts displayed a hypertrophic ICM, not observed in controls and virtually absent in embryos treated with physiological concentrations of IGF1. Physiological IGF1 concentrations increased total IGF1R protein expression and upregulated IGFBP3 transcripts leading to an increase in blastocyst formation with no effects on cell number or apoptosis. In conclusion, the results support the hypothesis of detrimental effects of supraphysiological IGF1 concentrations on early pregnancy. However, our results do not support the premise that increased apoptosis associated with high levels of IGF1 is mediated via downregulation of the IGF1R as previously found in preimplantation mouse embryos. This in vitro system with the bovine preimplantation embryo reflects critical features of fertility in PCOS patients and could thus serve as a useful model for in-depth mechanistic studies.
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Abstract
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy characterized by oligo/anovulatiaon and elevated circulating androgens or evidence of hyperandrogenism after all known potential causes have been excluded. In addition, insulin resistance and accompanying hyperinsulinemia commonly occur in women with PCOS. There is increasing evidence that the endocrinologic and metabolic abnormalities in PCOS may have complex effects on the endometrium, contributing to the infertility and endometrial disorders observed in women with this syndrome. Androgen receptors and steroid receptor co-activators are over-expressed in the endometrium of women with PCOS. Also, biomarkers of endometrial receptivity to embryonic implantation-such as alpha(v)beta3-integrin and glycodelin-are decreased, and epithelial expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) abnormally persists in the window of implantation in endometrium in women with PCOS. In addition to being responsive to the steroid hormones estradiol, progesterone, and androgens, the endometrium is also a target for insulin, the receptor for which is cyclically regulated in normo-ovulatory women. In vitro, insulin inhibits the normal process of endometrial stromal differentiation (decidualization). In addition, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins are regulated in and act on endometrial cellular constituents, and hyperinsulinemia down-regulates hepatic IGFBP-1, resulting in elevated free IGF-I in the circulation. Thus, elevated estrogen (without the opposing effects of progesterone in the absence of ovulation), hyperinsulinemia, elevated free IGF-I and androgens, and obesity all likely contribute to endometrial dysfunction, infertility, increased miscarriage rate, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial cancer common in women with PCOS. The potential mechanisms underlying these disorders, specifically in women with PCOS, are complex and await additional transdisciplinary research for their complete elucidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda C Giudice
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, M1496, Box 0132, San Francisco, CA 94143-0132, USA.
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Miyamoto T, Watanabe J, Hata H, Jobo T, Kawaguchi M, Hattori M, Saito M, Kuramoto H. Significance of progesterone receptor-A and -B expressions in endometrial adenocarcinoma. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2004; 92:111-8. [PMID: 15555905 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2004.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2004] [Accepted: 07/09/2004] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The progesterone receptor (PR) has two isoforms, A and B, among which PR-B is mainly involved in regulating proliferation of the uterine endometrium. In this study, immunohistochemical analysis was carried out to investigate the correlation of PR-A and -B expressions with cell cycle-regulatory proteins and clinicopathological parameters in endometrial adenocarcinoma. One hundred and forty-one endometrioid adenocarcinomas [76 with well-differentiated (G1), 35 with moderately differentiated (G2) and 30 with poorly differentiated (G3)] were used. Specimens of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue were immunohistochemically stained using the high polymer method (HISTOFINE, NICHIREI). The percentage of positive nuclei of tumor cells observed in three high power fields was expressed as a labeling index (LI). PR-B expression significantly occurred more frequently in G1. It was inversely correlated with p53 gene mutation and p53 over expression, and also with clinicopathological variables, including myometrial and lymph-vascular space invasion and the FIGO stage. Patients with negative PR-B had a poorer prognosis than positive cases. PR-A expression was also significantly higher in G1 and was inversely correlated with Ki-67 expression and myometrial invasion, but not with prognosis. PR-A and -B expressions were significantly correlated with biologically malignant potential. Especially, PR-B expression is useful as a prognostic indicator of endometrial adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoyuki Miyamoto
- Department of Clinical Cytology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara 228-8555, Japan
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