Nadia Nour Osman, Shyma Ali Alsahfi, Fawzia Alshubaily

Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a disease impacting adult female in which its main features are hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance ‎‎(IR), hyperinsulinemia, which enhances the probability of getting type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to estimate the ‎antidiabetic effect of fenugreek and the anti‏-‏androgenic effect of flaxseed and use the combination of both to treat polycystic ovarian ‎syndrome in female rats. Forty Wistar rats were divided into five groups each contained eight rats, Group I: normal control, the rats in Group ‎II-V received Estradiol valerate (4mg/kg in 0.4ml Sesame oil i.p.). Then, Group II served as PCOS control. The rats in Group-III were given ‎fenugreek aqueous extract (100 mg/kg), Group IV received flaxseed aqueous extract (300 ml/kg) and Group V administered a combination of ‎both extracts, for 60 consecutive days after PCOS conformation, extracts were given orally. The results showed that the Estradiol Valerate ‎induced a dignified increase in glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, lipid profile, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase ‎‎(ALT), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), and body weight in comparison to control. Moreover, an outstanding rise in serum LH, FSH, ‎testosterone and a decrease in progesterone level, with no change in estradiol was detected.  Furthermore, a significant rise in lipid ‎peroxidation accompanied by an insignificant increase in nitric oxide, a significant decline in superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione ‎reductase activities in ovarian homogenates were also noted. Supplementation of fenugreek and flaxseed significantly attenuated these ‎parameters. The results showed the beneficial effect of fenugreek and flaxseed in improving the impairment of IR and hyperandrogenism with ‎corresponding disrupted parameters in polycystic ovarian syndrome‎‎‎.