Expression of anti-Müllerian hormone in two rat models of polycystic ovary syndrome.

AIM: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels are two to three times higher in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the mechanism of increased AMH levels in PCOS remains unclear. The purpose of our experiment was to investigate a change in AMH levels in two kinds of commonly used rat models and to determine an ideal model for future research of AMH in the pathogenesis of PCOS.

METHODS: Thirty female Sprague Dawley rats were treated using two modeling methods: implantation of a levonorgestrel silastic implant or injection with sodium prasterone sulfate plus human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Rats in the control group were implanted with a blank silastic stick. Serum steroid concentrations, ovarian morphology and ovarian expression of AMH and AMH-receptor II (RII) proteins were determined and their correlations were studied.

RESULTS: The results from the levonorgestrel and hCG group were closer to those displayed by human PCOS patients than the sodium prasterone sulfate and hCG group. Ovarian local expression of AMH and AMH-RII was increased in these both models compared with the control group; however, an elevation of serum AMH concentration was not observed (12.53 ± 0.99 ng/ml and 13.22 ± 1.09 ng/ml vs 16.30 ± 0.98 ng/ml).

CONCLUSION: The levonorgestrel and hCG model is more suitable for the study of PCOS in puberty.