Quinoa ameliorates polycystic ovary syndrome via regulating gut microbiota through PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and autophagy

作者：Jinfang Dou, Yanxiang Wu, Rentong Hu, Jiaxian Liu, Yuelin Zhang, Xianjie Zhen, Tao Wu, Chuyue Zhang, Yutong Liu, Ruifang Zheng, Guangjian Jiang · 发表于：Nutrition & Metabolism · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s12986-024-00855-3 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Ovarian function and disorders、Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities、Seed and Plant Biochemistry

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a unity of endocrine and metabolic disorders, associated with PI3K/AKT/mTOR, autophagy, and gut microbiota. Quinoa is a valuable food source, which contains rich minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, and has a positive modulating effect on metabolic diseases. However, its effects and potential mechanisms on PCOS have not been reported yet. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of quinoa on PCOS rats by regulating PI3K/AKT/mTOR, autophagy, and gut microbiota. METHODS: Ten-week-old female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats have received letrozole for 24 days for induction of PCOS and subsequently were treated with a quinoa diet for 8 weeks. Vaginal smears were used to analyze the estrous cycle of rats. Hormone and biochemical indexes were analyzed by kit assays and glucometer. The pathological changes of ovary, pancreas, duodenum and colon were observed by HE staining. PI3K, AKT, mTOR and autophagy-related proteins in the ovary and colon were measured by western blot and immunohistochemistry staining. Tight junction proteins in colon were measured by immunohistochemistry staining. 16 s rDNA sequencing was used to detect the changes of intestinal microbiota in rats. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to study the possible targets and mechanisms of quinoa on PCOS. Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the relationship between intestinal microbial abundance and hormone levels of PCOS rats at...