Steroids receptors involvement in the pathogenesis of the abnormal persistence of ovarian follicular cysts

ORTEGA HH; ALFARO N; VELAZQUEZ M; REY F; STANGAFERRO M; MARELLI B; SALVETTI NR

Steroids: Biosynthesis, Functions and Health Implications

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Lugar: New York; Año: 2012; p. 129 - 148

Steroid receptors have been demonstrated to be important intra-ovarian regulators of follicular development and ovulatory processes. Several hypotheses have been proposed about the pathogenesis of the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in woman; polycystic ovaries (PCO) in experimental models and cystic ovarian disease (COD) in cattle. Although all these diseases/syndromes differs in metabolic and clinical aspects, they share as common sign, the presence of persistens follicular cystic structures. At present, intraovarian alterations, as causes that contribute to the follicular persistence, have not been clearly established. In this sense, several experimental models have been developed in the rat and other species in order to study this syndrome, contributing to understand specific aspect related to the pathogenesis of cystic ovaries. As been demonstrated that ovaries of rats, woman, ewes and cattle with cystic follicles exhibited an altered steroid receptor expression and subtype balance, increased expression of steroidogenic enzymes and changes in related proteins.  This review examines the evidence for role of an altered steroid signalling system in the ovary with cystic structures and suggest that changes in the expression of ovarian steroid receptors could play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of theses diseases. Also, Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are induced in response to various stress stimuli and appear to function in several regulatory mechanisms that control numerous cellular processes, including hormonal secretion and response, cellular proliferation and cellular death. Has been demonstrated that HSP expression levels are related to COD, which suggests that the expression levels of HSPs could be closely associated with the regulatory mechanisms of follicular development and that they could determine the fate of the cell in response to different stimuli. Alterations described may be caused by structural and functional modifications occurring in the follicular cells and could be related to hormonal changes. These observations indicate that cystogenesis is characterized by changes in numerous cellular components that may be essential to a suitable ovarian functioning, in agreement with similar modifications reported in women with PCOS and animals with COD.