Altered Hormone and Bioactive Lipid Plasma Profile in Rodent Models of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Revealed by Targeted Mass Spectrometry

The study investigates the plasma lipid profiles in rodent models of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) using a targeted mass spectrometry-based lipidomics workflow. The research found that letrozole treatment in rats significantly increased levels of 5α-androstene-3,17-dione and testosterone, while dihydrotestosterone treatment increased dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate and allopregnanolone but decreased testosterone, progesterone, pregnenolone, and D-sphingosine. Both models showed reduced levels of 25-hydroxycholesterol and leukotriene C4, and increased 4-cholesten-3-one, which are not typically altered in human PCOS. These findings suggest that while some lipid changes in these rodent models are similar to human PCOS, others are not, indicating the complexity of using these models for PCOS research.