OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutical effects of visfatin and metformin on insulin resistance and reproductive endocrine disorder in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHODSForty female Wistar rats were divided into 4 equal groups, and in groups A, B and C, the rats were injected subcutaneously with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for PCOS modeling, with group D as the blank control injected with soybean oil. Vaginal smears and serological testing were taken to assess the modeling. After the modeling, the rats in group A received 10 µg reorganized visfatin injection and those in group B were treated with metformin (14 mg/100 g) on a daily basis for 15 days. Serum levels of T, LH, FSH, FINS and blood glucose levels during OGTT were measured before and after the treatments, and HOMA-IR and LH to FSH ratio were calculated. The ovaries were then dissected for pathological examination.

RESULTSIn groups A and B, FINS, FPG, T, HOMA-IR and blood glucose levels during OGTT were significantly decreased after the treatments (P<0.05), which resulted in recovery of regular menses in 8 (80%) rats in group A and 7 (77.8%) rats in group B with the development of normal follicles. Visfatin and metformin produced equivalent therapeutic effects in improving the insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in PCOS rats.

CONCLUSIONVisfatin and metformin have equivalent therapeutic effects in improving insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism and in promoting the recovery of regular menses and development of normal follicles in PCOS rats.