ABSTRACT
The safety and effectiveness of nutricetics suggest that they may offer an alternative to pharmaceutical and surgical therapy for hormone-dependent disorders, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). We investigated the effects of Linum usitatissimum seed oil (LSO) on ovarian functionality, its molecular targets, and the oxidative response in hyperandrogenism-induced polycystic ovary. The composition of LSO has been analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS). A well-established PCOS rat model orally administered with letrozole daily for 21 days was used to investigate the effect of LSO at doses of 1 and 2 mL/kg body weight for 28 days. The effect on hormonal profile and antioxidant status, histopathology (cell proliferation), and the expression ratio of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and Cyp11A1 gene were evaluated. LSO exerted beneficial effects on PCOS rat models via restoring glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), beta subunit subunit luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone levels, and histopathological scoring. Furthermore, LSO reversed the elevated StAR and Cyp11A1 genes in the PCOS rat model. This study demonstrated the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the beneficial effect of LSO against the reproductive and metabolic disorders of PCOS.
Subject(s)
Flax/chemistry , Linseed Oil/pharmacology , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/drug therapy , Animals , Antioxidants/metabolism , Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme/genetics , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Disease Models, Animal , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Down-Regulation/drug effects , Female , Letrozole , Linseed Oil/administration & dosage , Linseed Oil/chemistry , Phosphoproteins/genetics , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/genetics , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/physiopathology , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray IonizationABSTRACT
Elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is an independent risk factor for premature atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, both of which are prevalent among Kuwaitis. Our objective was to measure serum lipids, including Lp(a), in Arab children and compare them with values reported for other ethnic groups. To that end, serum concentrations of Lp(a), total cholesterol [T-CHOL], high density lipoprotein [HDL], low density lipoprotein [LDL], and triglyceride [TG] were assessed in 103 Arab children. The mean and median Lp(a) were 140.4 mg/l and 95 mg/l, respectively. The Lp(a) frequency distribution was skewed to the right with the highest frequencies appearing at low levels. Serum Lp(a) correlated positively with T-CHOL and LDL but did not correlate with age, HDL and TG. Only nine children (8.7%) had serum Lp(a) levels associated with increased cardiovascular risk, namely > or = 300 mg/l.
