Multiplex cytokine profiling of stimulated splenocytes from the letrozole-induced PCOS mouse model

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Presentation Time: 02:15 PM - 03:30 PM
Poster Board Number: B932
Abstract ID: 6954

Presenting Author:
Gabriela De Robles , Graduate Student at Univ. of California, Irvine

Abstract:

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders with characteristics such as anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and obesity. An imbalance of pro-inflammatory factor secretion has been reported in PCOS human patients, but the extent to which these immune abnormalities are represented in the murine model of PCOS remains unclear. We performed a multiplexed immunoassay on stimulated splenocytes from the letrozole-induced (LET) mouse model of PCOS to profile 40 cytokines under two different activation conditions, T-cell or lipopolysaccharide induction. A general reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines was observed in the PCOS mice, and spearman correlation coefficient calculations revealed significant positive correlations among secreted cytokine readings in each stimulated condition. A PLS-DA successfully deciphered the two mice groups on whether they were treated with or without LET. Under the T-cell activation condition, several cytokine readings contributed to the characterization of the PCOS mouse profile, including IL-7, ILL-13, IL31, IL1beta, and MIP-3alpha. Altogether, the decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines may be linked to the likelihood of increased testosterone levels, as presented in previous studies on LET-treated female mice. Testosterone has immunomodulatory properties, but the biological process involved needs further investigation to determine the efficiency of using murine models to study inflammation in PCOS.