The effectiveness of an anti-malaria drug in polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome affects millions of women around the world. This is one of the most common endocrine diseases affecting women of reproductive age.. It is characterized by increased levels of androgens (hyperandrogenemia) and is associated, for example, with metabolic dysfunction, ovulation disorders and often infertility.

However, despite the high prevalence of the syndrome, its etiology is not well understood, and pharmacological treatment often focuses only on specific symptoms and has limited effectiveness. Because the hyperandrogenemia is the main characteristic and cause of most of the symptoms and comorbidities associated with polycystic ovary syndrome, treatment aimed at suppressing androgen production may be useful in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.

In search of a possible treatment for this disease, researchers from Fudan University (China) assessed the effect of artemisinin and its derivatives on the development of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Artemisinins, known for their antimalarial effects, also have beneficial metabolic effects. In rodent models, they found that artemether (ATM), an artemisinin derivative isolated from artemisia plants, reduces ovarian androgen synthesis by affecting the most important enzyme in androgen production.

A pilot clinical study conducted in 19 women with polycystic ovary syndrome demonstrated the therapeutic potential of artemisinin.

Women treated with dihydroartemisinin, a drug used to treat malaria, over 12 weeks experienced significant reductions in key PCOS biomarkers and achieved more regular menstrual cycles without side effects.

Although the authors acknowledge that additional research will be required to fully understand long-term effects and optimize dosing strategies to maximize therapeutic results, “the discovery of artemisinins as effective treatments for polycystic ovary syndrome represents a promising new approach to the development of targeted therapies.” this will potentially change the treatment landscape for PCOS,” writes Elisabeth Stener-Wiktorin of the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, in a related article.