ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of berberine for the treatment of insulin resistance (IR) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Methods Sixty PCOS-IR women were randomized into treatment group and control group,30 cases in each group.At the end of the trial,26 cases in the treatment group (4 cases dropped out) and 29 cases in the control group (one case dropped out) completed the trial.The treatment group was treated with berberine orally,and the control group was treated with metformin orally,the treatment for the two groups lasting 3 months.Before and after treatment,we observed the parameters of body mass index (BMI),homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR),fasting plasma glucose (FPG),fasting insulin (FINS),2-hour postprandial glucose after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT2hPG) and 2-hour postprandial insulin after OGTT (OGTT2hINS),blood lipid levels of total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C),and sexual hormones of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH),luteotropic hormone (LH),testosterone (T) and LH/FSH ratio.Results BMI,HOMA-IR,TC,TG and LDL-C of the two groups were decreased after treatment (P ＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01 compared with those before treatment),but the differences between the two groups were insignificant(P ＞ 0.05).Serum levels of T and LH as well as LH/FSH ratio in the treatment group were also decreased (P ＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01 compared with those before treatment and those in the control group after treatment).Conclusion Berberine can improve HOMA-IR,decrease serum sexual hormones levels,and regulate the blood metabolism in PCOS-IR women,and its effect is similar to that of metformin.