Long-term testosterone treatment during pregnancy does not alter insulin or glucose profile in a sheep model of polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

The administration of testosterone to pregnant sheep to resemble fetal programming of the polycystic ovary syndrome could alter other hormones/factors of maternal origin with known effects on fetal growth. Hence, we studied the weekly profile of insulin, progesterone and glucose during a treatment with testosterone propionate given biweekly from weeks 5 to 17 of pregnancy (term at 21 weeks) and checked the outcome of their fetuses at 17 weeks of gestation after C-section. Control dams were only exposed to the vehicle of the hormone. The testosterone administration did not cause any significant change in the maternal weekly profile of insulin, progesterone or glucose concentration, although the plasma levels of testosterone in the treated dams were inversely correlated to the levels of progesterone. Testosterone treatment also induced an inverse correlation between mean maternal insulin levels and fetal insulin levels; however, the fetal zoometric parameters, body weight, or insulin levels did not differ between exposed and not exposed fetuses. Therefore, treatment with testosterone during pregnancy does not cause significant impact on insulin levels in the mother, leading to less effect on the programming of fetal growth.

Keywords:

• Fetal growth
• fetal programming
• insulin
• polycystic ovary syndrome
• sheep
• testosterone

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank FONDECYT Grant 1140433, FISENLAB and Ms. Ana Alayan, Ms. María José Olguín, and Mr. Diego Assmann, undergraduate students of veterinary medicine from the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences (University of Concepcion) for their valuable help in the C-sections and fetus handling.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank FONDECYT Grant 1140433.