A compound used to treat malaria could potentially alleviate symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome , a small study in humans and lab animals finds.
Now, a new study has shown that an antimalarial drug called artemisinin may ease some symptoms of PCOS, potentially by addressing its root cause.The results, published June 14 in the journal Science, show that artemisinin and its derivatives significantly improved PCOS symptoms, such as irregular hormonal cycles, in both humans and rodents.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.The participants took a derivative of artemisinin by mouth three times a day for three months. There was no group that got a placebo drug, for comparison, so that's one limitation of the study.
The findings suggest that artemisinin is a potential effective treatment for PCOS, said Anna Benrick, a physiologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden who was not involved in the research. To tease out how artemisinin might treat PCOS, the researchers looked to rodents. They found that, in the ovaries of mice and rats, the drug breaks down an enzyme called CYP11A1, which is key for making androgens. This likely prevents the excess production of androgens that drives most PCOS symptoms.
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