Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, skeletal muscle and polycystic ovary syndrome: Effects of pioglitazone and metformin treatment

Aug 21, 2013Metabolism: clinical and experimental

Inflammation and muscle changes in polycystic ovary syndrome with pioglitazone and metformin treatment

AI simplified

Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Circulating levels of cytokines and chemokines were generally similar between subjects with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and healthy normal cycling subjects.

PCOS is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, similar to other insulin-resistant conditions.
Anti-diabetic treatment with pioglitazone did not change circulating cytokine or chemokine levels in PCOS subjects.
Pioglitazone treatment improved whole body insulin action and increased adiponectin levels in PCOS subjects.
Despite stable cytokine levels, several markers of inflammation in skeletal muscle improved with pioglitazone treatment.
PCOS may indicate heightened sensitivity of inflammatory cells in skeletal muscle to cytokines, potentially reversible with treatment.

AI simplified

OBJECTIVE: Chronic low-grade inflammation is a common feature of insulin resistant states, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. Less is known about inflammation in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Thus we evaluated the impact of PCOS on circulating cytokine levels and the effects of anti-diabetic therapies on insulin action, cytokine and chemokine levels and inflammatory signaling in skeletal muscle.

METHODS: Twenty subjects with PCOS and 12 healthy normal cycling (NC) subjects of similar body mass index were studied. PCOS subjects received oral placebo or pioglitazone, 45 mg/d, for 6 months. All PCOS subjects then had metformin, 2 g/day, added to their treatment. Circulating levels of cytokines, chemokines, and adiponectin, skeletal muscle markers of inflammation and phosphorylation of signaling proteins, insulin action evaluated by the hyperinsulinemic/euglycemic clamp procedure and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance were measured.

RESULTS: Circulating levels of a number of cytokines and chemokines were generally similar between PCOS and NC subjects. Levels in PCOS subjects were not altered by pioglitazone or metformin treatment, even though whole body insulin action and adiponectin levels increased with pioglitazone. In spite of the lack of change in levels of cytokines and chemokines, several markers of inflammation in skeletal muscle were improved with Pio treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: PCOS may represent a state of elevated sensitivity of inflammatory cells in skeletal muscle to cytokines and chemokines, a property that could be reversed by pioglitazone treatment together with improved insulin action.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View full text (XML) ↗View full text ↗

Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, skeletal muscle and polycystic ovary syndrome: Effects of pioglitazone and metformin treatment

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief