Anti-malaria drug shows promise in treating polycystic ovary syndrome
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Researchers have found that an existing anti-malaria drug, artemisinin, may help alleviate symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
The discovery was made during studies involving fat cells in mice and has since shown promising results in human trials.
A small clinical trial involving 19 women with PCOS revealed that artemisinin improved menstrual cycle regularity and reduced testosterone levels, a common hormonal imbalance associated with PCOS, according to a report by New Scientist.
PCOS, a condition that affects hormone production, leads to symptoms such as irregular periods, infertility, and insulin resistance, which can contribute to weight gain and exacerbate the condition. Current treatments for PCOS typically target individual symptoms, with options like laser hair removal and birth control pills, but no single, highly effective treatment has been found.
The breakthrough came when Qi-Qun Tang of Fudan University in China noticed that artemisinin reduced PCOS-like symptoms in mice during fat cell studies.
Encouraged by these findings, researchers conducted a trial with 19 women suffering from PCOS, yielding positive results. Over three months of artemisinin treatment, all participants experienced a reduction in testosterone levels, and most saw a decrease in the anti-Mullerian hormone, another PCOS marker.
Additionally, 12 women reported restored menstrual regularity.
Further research indicates that artemisinin may regulate testosterone production within the ovaries. However, Stephen Franks from Imperial College London suggests another mechanism might be improved insulin sensitivity. Though the trial participants had healthy weights, weight loss often leads to better PCOS outcomes, implying a link between artemisinin and insulin regulation.
One significant advantage of artemisinin is its established safety profile as a malaria treatment. Elisabet Stener-Victorin of the Karolinska Institute points out that this existing safety data could facilitate the rapid development of artemisinin as a new PCOS treatment, pending further research through larger, randomized trials.
