Androgen action in adipose tissue and the brain are key mediators in the development of PCOS traits in a mouse model

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder characterised by endocrine, reproductive and metabolic abnormalities. Despite PCOS being the most common endocrinopathy affecting women of reproductive age, the etiology of PCOS is poorly understood so there is no cure and symptomatic treatment is suboptimal. Hyperandrogenism is the most consistent feature observed in PCOS patients, and recently aberrant neuroendocrine signalling and adipose tissue function have been proposed as playing a role in the development of PCOS. To investigate the role of adipose tissue and the brain as key sites for AR-mediated development of PCOS we combined a white and brown adipose and brain-specific androgen receptor knockout (AdBARKO) mouse model with a dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced mouse model of PCOS. As expected, in wildtype (WT) control females, DHT exposure induced the reproductive PCOS traits of cycle irregularity, ovulatory dysfunction and reduced follicle health whereas in AdBARKO females DHT did not produce the reproductive features of PCOS. The metabolic PCOS characteristics of increased adiposity, adipocyte hypertrophy and hepatic steatosis induced by DHT in WT females, were not evident in DHT-treated AdBARKO females which displayed normal white adipose tissue weight and no adipocyte hypertrophy or liver steatosis. DHT treatment induced increased fasting glucose levels in both WT and AdBARKO females. These findings demonstrate that adipose tissue and the brain are key loci of androgen-mediated actions involved in the developmental origins of PCOS. These data support targeting adipocyte and neuroendocrine AR-driven pathways in the future development of novel therapeutic strategies for PCOS.