EFFECTS MEDIATED BY ANDROGEN RECEPTOR ON THE UTERINE STROMA IN A RAT PCOS MODEL

GISELA S BRACHO; ENRIQUE H LUQUE; LAURA KASS; VERÓNICA L. BOSQUIAZZO; GABRIELA A. ALTAMIRANO

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta SAIC-SAI -SAFIS; 2018

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with uterine abnormalities. Here, we investigated the effects mediated by androgen receptor (AR) on the uterine stroma in a rat PCOS model. Wistar rats were injected sc with sesame oil (control group), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) 6mg/100g bw (PCOS group) or DHEA 6mg/100g + flutamide (AR antagonist) 2mg/100g bw (PCOS+FLU group) from 21 to 41 days of age. In PCOS rats we showed an increase of the subepithelial stroma and myometrial thickness associated with a decrease in cell density compared to controls rats in both uterine compartments. Then we studied the extracellular matrix and demonstrated that this was modifed in PCOS rats: the organization of the collagen fbers increased in the subepithelial stroma and the myometrium and the uterine water content was increased in association with changes in aquaporin expression (AQP). In PCOS rats, the expression of AQP3, 7 and 8 decreased in uterine epithelium whereas AQP8 was induced in myometrium. When flutamide was administered together with DHEA (PCOS+FLU group) the myometrial thickness was decreased without changes in cell density compared to PCOS rats (PCOS:360±33 vs PCOS+FLU:231±16 µm; p