Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Feb;236(2):824-838.
doi: 10.1002/jcp.29912. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Pathophysiological roles of chronic low-grade inflammation mediators in polycystic ovary syndrome

Maryam Rostamtabar  1 , Sedigheh Esmaeilzadeh  2 , Mehdi Tourani  3 , Abolfazl Rahmani  1 , Masoud Baee  1 , Fatemeh Shirafkan  3 , Kiarash Saleki  1 , Sajedeh S Mirzababayi  4 , Soheil Ebrahimpour  5 , Hamid Reza Nouri  2   3   6
Affiliations
Review

Pathophysiological roles of chronic low-grade inflammation mediators in polycystic ovary syndrome

Maryam Rostamtabar et al. J Cell Physiol. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal imbalance disease in reproductive-aged women. Its basic characteristics are ovulatory dysfunction and ovarian overproduction of androgens that lead to severe symptoms such as insulin resistance, hirsutism, infertility, and acne. Notwithstanding the disease burden, its underlying mechanisms remain unknown, and no causal therapeutic exists. In recent years, further studies showed that inflammation processes are involved in ovulation and play a key role in ovarian follicular dynamics. Visceral adipose tissue can cause inflammatory response and maintenance of the inflammation state in adipocytes by augmented production of inflammatory cytokines, monocyte chemoattractant proteins, and recruitment of the immune cell. Therefore, the PCOS can be related to a low-grade inflammation state and inflammatory markers. Investigating the inflammatory processes and mediators that contribute to the commencement and development of PCOS can be a critical step for better understanding the pathophysiology of the disease and its treatment through inhibition or control of related pathways. In the present review, we discuss the pathophysiological roles of chronic low-grade inflammation mediators including inflammasome-related cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-18 in PCOS development.

Keywords: IL-18; IL-1β; chronic low-grade inflammation; inflammasome; polycystic ovary syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

REFERENCES

    1. Abais, J. M., Xia, M., Zhang, Y., Boini, K. M., & Li, P.-L. (2015). Redox regulation of NLRP3 Inflammasomes: ROS as trigger or effector? Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, 22(13), 1111-1129.
    1. Amato, G., Conte, M., Mazziotti, G., Lalli, E., Vitolo, G., Tucker, A. T., … Izzo, A. (2003). Serum and follicular fluid cytokines in polycystic ovary syndrome during stimulated cycles. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 101(6), 1177-1182.
    1. Amini, L., Tehranian, N., Movahedin, M., Ramezani Tehrani, F., & Ziaee, S. (2015). Antioxidants and management of polycystic ovary syndrome in Iran: A systematic review of clinical trials. Iranian Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 13(1), 1-8.
    1. Asgharnia, M., Mirblook, F., & Ahmad Soltani, M. (2011). The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in high school students in Rasht in 2009 according to NIH criteria. International Journal of Fertility & Sterility, 4(4), 156-159.
    1. Azziz, R., Woods, K. S., Reyna, R., Key, T. J., Knochenhauer, E. S., & Yildiz, B. O. (2004). The prevalence and features of the polycystic ovary syndrome in an unselected population. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 89(6), 2745-2749.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources