ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effect of dodder total flavone on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) rat models induced by letrozole. Method: Except the blank group, the other rats were given letrozole 1 mg·kg-1 for 21 consecutive days to replicate PCOS animal model. On the 16th day of the modeling, the estrous cycle was detected by vaginal smear, and rat with persistent keratinization of vaginal epithelial cells were selected as the PCOS model rat. The model rats were randomly divided into model group, Dacin-35 group, and high, middle, low-dose dodder total flavonoids groups. The corresponding drugs were given for 21 consecutive days. At the end of the administration, materials were collected to calculate ovary index, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure estrogen (E2), testosterone (T), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels of serum. The right ovary of rats was stained with haematoxylin-eosin (HE), and the pathological changes were observed by optical microscope. Androgen receptor(AR) expressions in hypothalamus, pituitary and ovary were detected by mmunohistochemistry. Result: Compared with the blank group, serum T, GnRH and LH levels, ovarian index and LH/FSH ratio were significantly increased, while FSH and E2 levels were significantly decreased (PPP2, T, GnRH and LH levels, ovarian index and LH/FSH ratio were significantly decreased in high, middle and low-dose dodder total flavonoids groups (P2 level was significantly increased (PP2 level in PCOS model rats was obviously increased in low-dose dodder total flavonoids group (PPConclusion: Dodder total flavonoids may play a protective role in PCOS model rats by regulating the secretion of estrogen and androgen and affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis pathway.