Ricerc@Sapienza

It is generally believed that in most cases polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-related infertility results from the absence of ovulation, yet there is also evidence that anovulation may not be the only reason for these women’s failure to conceive. Among factors that may contribute to subfertility in these subjects, a special role can be attributed to endometrial dysfunction, a phenomenon also characterized by a variety of changes in endometrial histomorphology and receptivity markers, which apparently cannot be corrected by conventional doses of progesterone.

Mice exposed to continuous light undergo functional and histological changes that mimic those of human Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). We herein induced the syndrome by exposing 30-day-old females to 10 weeks of permanent light. Ovarian morphology and histology, as well as reproductive parameters (time of observed pregnancy/delivery) were investigated. Ovaries of PCOS-modeled mice showed lack of tertiary follicles and corpora lutea, altered ovarian architecture, and increased thickness of the theca layer.

In the last decade, natural integrative treatments of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) – a complex ovarian syndrome characterized by anovulation/androgenism/cystic ovaries – gained momentum, given that a plethora of nutraceuticals flooded into the market. Namely, two inositol isomers - myo-inositol (myo-Ins) and D-chiroinositol (D-Chiro-Ins) have been proven to be effective in PCOS treatment, by improving insulin resistance, serum androgen levels and many features of the metabolic syndrome.