Effect of Atorvastatin on the Levels of Sex Hormones and Oxidative Stress Index in Letrozole-induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Adult Female Wistar Rats

Atorvastatin is currently one of the most commonly used drugs in the clinics for the treatment of coronary heart disease and is mainly used for the control of risk factors in coronary heart disease as well as in the improvement of prognosis. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrinological disorder in reproductive-age women and is often associated with metabolic syndrome. In the present study, the effect of atorvastatin on letrozole-induced PCOS was investigated in adult female Wistar rats. The rats were randomly divided into 8 groups: normal control, atorvastatin (10, 50, and 100 mg/kg intragastrically, daily) alone, PCOS control rats (letrozole, 1 mg/kg, intragastrically, daily), atorvastatin (10, 50, and 100 mg/kg intragastrically, daily) together with (letrozole1 mg/kg, intragastrically, daily), and administration was performed accordingly. Administration of atorvastatin was started 30 min. before the first dose of letrozole and continued for up to 30 days. The animals were euthanized 24 h after the last dose of the administration. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture. Serum was separated and evaluated for determination of estradiol, LH, FSH, and testosterone levels. Moreover, antioxidant activity was tested by measuring using superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in ovary homogenate. Our results showed that the administration of atorvastatin significantly improved PCOS-induced hormonal impairment. Also, the administration of atorvastatin increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes, including SOD, CAT, and GPX, while decreasing MDA levels. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that atorvastatin administration may be beneficial in letrozole-induced PCOS in rats.