Antimalarial compound may help treat PCOS

Women who suffer polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) They suffer from various hormonal changes and are unable to ovulate normally. This condition is one of main causes of infertility According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it affects between 8 and 13% of women of reproductive age, which estimates that up to 70% of those affected have not been diagnosed.

Treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome is aimed at relieving symptoms, which can also be reduced by adopting healthy habits, such as regular exercise and eating a balanced diet, which help control weight and prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

A new study conducted by Yang Liu from Tang Fudan Qi-chun University (China) found that artemisinsplant-derived compound used for fight malaria, may be useful in the treatment of PCOS. Artemisinins are plant-derived compounds that are best known for their antimalarial properties, but have also been found to have some beneficial metabolic effects.

The team showed that artemisinins could also improve the endocrine manifestations of polycystic ovary syndrome in several rodent models and in 19 women with PCOS; In these patients, therapy resulted in more regular menstrual cycles without side effects, offering a potential approach to treating multiple aspects of this endocrine disorder. The results were published in the journal The science.

How artemisinins work in polycystic ovary syndrome

The study authors explained in their article that artemisinin analogue artemether – antimalarial – has achieved significant improvements in hyperandrogenemia (high androgen levels), irregular estrous cycles, polycystic ovary morphology and low fertility in women. PCOS rodent models.

They also conducted a pilot clinical study to confirm the therapeutic effect of artemisinins. patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and found that treatment with dihydroartemisinin effectively reduced hyperandrogenemia, reduced anti-Mullerian hormone levels, improved polycystic ovary morphology, and normalized the menstrual cycle in these women.

“This brilliant study reinforces a promising future in the research, development and clinical application of herbal extracts for female reproductive disorders.”

“Overall, our results highlight the promising potential of artemisinins as effective drugs for the comprehensive treatment of PCOS. “This discovery sheds light on a previously unknown interaction between LONP1 and CYP11A1 that is enhanced by artemisinins to regulate androgen synthesis, opening the possibility of intervening in PCOS by eliminating the LONP1-CYP11A1 interaction,” the researchers concluded.

Christina Carrasco, Deputy Professor and Researcher at the Department of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Extremadura, who was not involved in the study, told SMC Spain that “this brilliant study strengthens the promising future in the field of research, development and clinical application of herbal extracts in female reproductive disorders that experimentally show greater effectiveness and safety than traditional methods of treatment. In this case, we could also be talking about repositioning an antimalarial drug for use in women’s health. Without a doubt, more scientific studies like this are needed to increase our knowledge of the pathophysiology of common diseases among women, which is an important preliminary step for successful treatment in all aspects.”

She is more skeptical Cornelia Jaursch-Hanke, head of the department of diabetology and endocrinology at the DKD Helios clinic in Wiesbaden (Germany), who in statements to the same publication noted that “an observational study on 19 patients who were treated for only 12 weeks is not enough.” For this reason, he believes it is necessary to conduct “a randomized controlled trial demonstrating in patients an effect beyond the placebo effect. Then we could re-analyze the results.” And he concludes: “Based on my experience researching other potential drugs, I see no prospects for artemisinin at this time.”