Melatonin attenuates LPS-induced ovarian toxicity via modulation of SIRT-1, PI3K/pAkt, pErk1/2 and NFĸB/COX-2 expressions.

The association between inflammation and metabolic disturbances leads to various female pathophysiological conditions. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), found in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, elicits an oxidative and inflammatory response that profoundly interferes with female reproductive health. We investigated the ameliorative action of melatonin on LPS-induced ovarian pathophysiology in golden hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus. Hamsters were administered with exogenous melatonin (5 mg/kg BW) and LPS (100 µg/kg BW) intraperitoneally for 7 days. LPS treatment impaired ovarian folliculogenesis as evident by histoarchitecture (elevated number of atretic follicles, reduced number of growing follicles and corpus luteum) and steroidogenesis (decreased aromatase/ERα, estradiol and progesterone). On the other hand, LPS administration also perturbed thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) homeostasis, ovarian melatonin receptor (MT-1) expression, antioxidant potential (SOD and catalase) and concomitantly elevated nitro-oxidative stress (decreased SOD, catalase and elevated CRP, TNFα and nitrate/nitrite level) and inflammatory load (NFĸB and COX-2) which culminated into ovarian follicular apoptosis (elevated caspase-3). LPS also disrupted metabolic homeostasis as indicated by hyperinsulinemia with a simultaneous decrease in ovarian IR/GLUT-4 and glucose content. Moreover, LPS treatment decreased expressions of key markers of ovarian physiology (SIRT-1, pErk1/2, PI3K and pAkt). Melatonin co-treatment with LPS improve these detrimental changes proposing melatonin as a potent therapeutic candidate against ovarian dysfunction induced by endotoxin.