Berberine-A Promising Therapeutic Approach to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Infertile/Pregnant Women

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 125
• Main Authors: Ionescu, Oana-Maria, Frincu, Francesca, Mehedintu, Andra, Plotogea, Mihaela, Cirstoiu, Monica, Petca, Aida, Varlas, Valentin, Mehedintu, Claudia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Abnormalities; Berberine; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Complications and side effects; Development and progression; Dextrose; Diabetes mellitus; Etiology; Fertility; Fetuses; Glucose; Glucose metabolism; Health aspects; Herbal medicine; Hyperinsulinemia; Hypertension; Infants; infertility; Infertility, Female; Insulin; Insulin resistance; Medicinal herbs; Medicinal plants; Medicine, Botanic; Medicine, Herbal; Metabolites; Morbidity; Ovaries; Patient outcomes; Physiological aspects; Polycystic ovary syndrome; Pre-eclampsia; Pregnancy; Pregnancy complications; Pregnancy, Complications of; Review; Stein-Leventhal syndrome; Womens health; Romania; infertility; insulin resistance; pregnancy; berberine; polycystic ovary syndrome
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life13010125

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder with an unknown etiology that features a wide range of endocrine and metabolic abnormalities that hamper fertility. PCOS women experience difficulties getting pregnant, and if pregnant, they are prone to miscarriage, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, high fetal morbidity, and perinatal mortality. Insulin, the pancreatic hormone best known for its important role in glucose metabolism, has an underrated position in reproduction. PCOS women who have associated insulin resistance (with consequent hyperinsulinemia) have fertility issues and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Lowering the endogen insulin levels and insulin resistance appears to be a target to improve fertility and pregnancy outcomes in those women. Berberine is an alkaloid with a high concentration in various medicinal herbs that exhibits a hypoglycaemic effect alongside a broad range of other therapeutic activities. Its medical benefits may stand up for treating different conditions, including diabetes mellitus. So far, a small number of pharmacological/clinical trials available in the English language draw attention towards the good results of berberine's use in PCOS women with insulin resistance for improving fertility and pregnancy outcomes. Our study aims to uncover how berberine can counteract the negative effect of insulin resistance in PCOS women and improve fertility and pregnancy outcomes.