PMON211 Energy metabolism hormones irisin and leptin affect steroidogenesis in human granulosa cells: in vitro studies

Energy metabolism and reproduction are closely linked; however, the role of the individual energy metabolism hormones in this association is still poorly understood. Irisin is a hormone produced mostly by skeletal muscle cells during exercise or shivering, and leptin is a satiety adipokine synthesized by the white adipose tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of irisin and leptin on steroidogenesis in cultured human granulosa cells. The cells were purified from follicular fluid samples from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Primary cell cultures were treated with increasing concentrations of irisin (0, 125, 250, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 ng/ml) or leptin (0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 ng/ml) for 24 hours and subjected to qRT-PCR analysis for the expression of key steroidogenic enzymes (CYP11A1, CYP19A1, CYP21A1, HSD3B1, and HSD17B3). Concentrations of progesterone, testosterone and estradiol in the conditioned cell culture medium were measured using ELISA. Results demonstrated that both irisin and leptin significantly upregulated CYP19A1 mRNA expression. Leptin also increased the expression of HSD3B1 mRNA levels. Although not statistically significant, leptin produced a trend of increasing estradiol production after 24 hours of treatment. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that irisin and leptin may affect steroid hormone metabolism in the ovary by modulating the expression of key steroidogenic enzymes. Presentation: Monday, June 13, 2022 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.