Research Spotlight

Derailed peripheral circadian genes in polycystic ovary syndrome patients alters peripheral conversion of androgens synthesis.

Human Reproduction  22 June 2022 | https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deac139

Betcy Susan Johnson, Meera B Krishna, Renjini A Padmanabhan, Sathy M Pillai, K Jayakrishnan, Malini Laloraya

ABSTRACT

STUDY QUESTION
Do circadian genes exhibit an altered profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients and do they have a potential role in androgen excess?
SUMMARY ANSWER Our findings revealed that an impaired circadian clock could hamper the regulation of peripheral steroid metabolism in PCOS women.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY PCOS patients exhibit features of metabolic syndrome. Circadian rhythm disruption is involved in the development of metabolic diseases and subfertility. An association between shift work and the incidence of PCOS in females was recently reported.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a retrospective case-referent study in which peripheral blood samples were obtained from 101 control and 101 PCOS subjects. PCOS diagnoses were based on Rotterdam Consensus criteria.
Participants/materials, setting, methods: This study comprised 101 women with PCOS and 101 control volunteers, as well as Swiss albino mice treated with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to induce PCOS development. Gene expression analyses of circadian and steroidogenesis genes in human PBMC and mice ovaries and blood were executed by quantitative real-time PCR.