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Astragalus polysaccharide alleviates polycystic ovary syndrome by reducing insulin resistance and oxidative stress and increasing the diversity of gut microbiota

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Abstract

Background

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disorder, which is frequently accompanied by insulin resistance, oxidative stress (OS), and dyslipidemia. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS)—as a water-soluble heteropolysaccharide—can lower blood sugar and lipid and exert anti-aging effects and thus has been proven to be beneficial to various types of metabolic diseases. However, specific mechanisms of the action of APS on PCOS are yet to be studied.

Methods

Herein, BALB/C female mice aged 3 weeks were randomly divided into three groups (10 mice/group): oil + PBS group, DHEA + PBS group, and DHEA + APS group. Changes in the estrous cycle, ovarian tissue sections, serum levels of the hormone, blood glucose, blood lipid, and OS were studied. The intestinal microbiome was sequenced and Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum metabolic indexes and microflora.

Results

The results revealed that APS treatment ameliorated insulin resistance, OS, and dyslipidemia in PCOS mice. The results of 16S rDNA sequencing indicated that there were significant differences in the composition and diversity of intestinal microorganisms between DHEA and APS treatments. Firmicutes, Lachnospiraceae, Bacilli, Lactobacillaceae, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A13_group were abundant in the oil + PBS group. Bacteroidota and Muribaculaceae were enriched in the DHEA + PBS group, while Rikenellaceae, Odoribacter, and Marinifilaceae were enriched in the DHEA + APS group. Furthermore, Spearman correlation analysis showed that there were close interactions and correlations between intestinal bacteria and indicators of blood glucose, blood lipids, steroid hormones, and OS in PCOS mice.

Conclusions

Overall, the study showed that APS improved PCOS in mice by correcting serum metabolic disorders and increasing microbiome diversity, which may provide insight into understanding the pathogenesis and be a beneficial intervention for PCOS.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 82260305), Development of Gansu Province(21YF5FA119), Lanzhou Science and Technology Bureau project (2021-148) and Hospital fund of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University(ldyyyn2019-62).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Ruiyun Li, Rui Hu

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

    Ruiyun Li, Rui Hu, Yi Huang, Dan Li & Yuan Yang

  2. The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

    Xiaoling Ma & Yuan Yang

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  1. Ruiyun Li
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Contributions

Y.Y. developed the topic and served as the guarantor of this study. X.M. designed the search strategies. R.L. and R.H. conducted basic test and draft writing. Y.H. and D.L. was responsible for processing data. R.L., Y.H., and R.H. revised the first draft multiple times and reached consensus on the final draft. All authors contributed to the paper and approved the publication of the submitted version.

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Correspondence to Yuan Yang.

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The study was approved by the First Hospital of Lanzhou University review board (LDYYLL-2019-17).

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Li, R., Hu, R., Huang, Y. et al. Astragalus polysaccharide alleviates polycystic ovary syndrome by reducing insulin resistance and oxidative stress and increasing the diversity of gut microbiota. Endocrine 83, 783–797 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-023-03553-x

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