IL-15 Participates in the Pathogenesis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome by Affecting the Activity of Granulosa Cells

作者：Yan Liu, Zhi Li, Yang Wang, Qingqing Cai, Haiou Liu, Congjian Xu, Feifei Zhang · 发表于：Frontiers in Endocrinology · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.3389/fendo.2022.787876 · 被引用次数：42 · 研究领域：Ovarian function and disorders、Reproductive System and Pregnancy、Ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment

Background Low-grade chronic inflammation may contribute to the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a proinflammatory cytokine involved in the development of chronic inflammation leading to obesity-associated metabolic syndrome. However, the concentration of IL-15 in follicular fluid of patients with PCOS has yet been evaluated. Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression level of IL-15 in both patients with PCOS and PCOS mice model and investigate the functional effect of IL-15 on ovarian granulosa cells. Methods The level of IL-15 in follicular fluid (FF) was measured using cytokine array and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in two cohorts from 23 PCOS patients and 18 normo-ovulatory controls. PCOS mice model was induced by subcutaneously implanted with letrozole pellet for 21 days. The expression level of IL-15 in serum, ovarian, and subcutaneous adipose tissue in PCOS mice model was measured by ELISA, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescence. The effect of IL-15 on the proliferation and apoptosis of the KGN cells and mouse ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Transcript expression of 17α-hydroxylase17,20-lyase (CYP17A1), cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A member 1(CYP19A1), FSH receptor (FSHR), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and proinflammatory cytokine were quantified using R...