The Mode of Therapeutic Action of Metformin and Aromatase Enzyme Inhibitors in the Treatment of Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Rat through using Immunohistochemical Technique

Abstract

Background Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of well-known disorder that affects females during their reproductive period. The etiology and the pathogenesis of this disorder are still unclear since many scientists consider some factors are the causes of this disorder while the others proved them as a result of this disorder.

In general, this disorder chaptalized mainly by hormonal imbalance which reflected itself as pathological changes which mainly summarized by multiple large cysts associated with clinical features mainly disturbance of menstruation and infertility.

Two parameters play a principal role in pathogenesis and a guide line in the progression of the treatment. These are aromatase enzyme activity and estrogen receptor B distribution.

Now a day many lines of treatment are involved in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, but the two important one are the use of antihyperinsulinemic drugs (like metformin) and aromatase inhibitors (like anastrozole).

The aim of this research is to study the mode of action of these two drugs through using immunohistochemical techniques and illustrate their effect on aromatase enzyme activity and estrogen receptor B distribution in different ovarian tissues.

Materials and methods: Twenty-six premature female Norway albino rats aged 21 day had been involved in this study. Five of them considered as controls while the others received testosterone for 4 weeks to induce polycystic ovary and considered as experimental group. The experimental group divided into 3 subgroups, the first one received nothing while the second one was treated with metformin and the third one was treated with anastrozole. In all the groups, the aromatase enzyme activity and estrogen receptor B distribution had been examined through using immunohistochemical technique.

Result: The results revealed improvement in the syndrome reflected through increase in the activity of aromatase enzyme besides increase in the estrogen receptor B distribution in certain ovarian tissues. However the intensity of aromatase activity and the intensity of estrogen receptor expression varied according to the treatment used.

Discussion: Both drugs, used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, were act through normalization of the sexual hormonal situation in order to preserve the normal histology and the physiological function of the ovary. However, anastrozole proved to be much better as a therapy than metformin in this line.