TY - JOUR AB - Cryptotanshinone (CRY) has been demonstrated to reverse reproductive disorders. However, whether CRY is effective in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of CRY in PCOS. A rat model of PCOS was established by daily injection of human chorionic gonadotropin and insulin for 22 days. Total body weight and ovarian weight, as well as the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and the LH to follicle‑stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio (LH/FSH) significantly increased in rats with PCOS, compared with controls. Moreover, the levels of testosterone (T), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α and high‑mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) also increased. However, CRY treatment attenuated the increase in body weight, ovarian weight, LH, LH/FSH ratio, T, TNF‑α and HMGB1 levels, compared with the PCOS group. Treatment with CRY also reduced NF‑κB/p65, HMGB1 and toll‑like receptor (TLR)4 mRNA and protein expression levels in the ovarian tissue and granulosa cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, CRY significantly mitigated the changes in body weight, ovary weight, hormone levels and inflammatory factor levels observed in rats with PCOS. Thus, CRY protects against PCOS‑induced damage of ovarian tissue, possibly through a regulatory pathway involving HMGB1, TLR4 and NF‑κB. AD - Department of Gynecology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shanghai 200071, P.R. China Department of Chinese and Western Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China AU - Yang,Yijiao AU - Yang,Ling AU - Qi,Cao AU - Hu,Guohua AU - Wang,Longhui AU - Sun,Zhuojun AU - Ni,Xiaorong DA - 2020/11/01 DO - 10.3892/mmr.2020.11469 EP - 3861 IS - 5 JO - Mol Med Rep KW - CRY PCOS hormone inflammatory factor HMGB1 Toll‑like receptor 4 nuclear factor‑κB PY - 2020 SN - 1791-2997 1791-3004 SP - 3851 ST - Cryptotanshinone alleviates polycystic ovary syndrome in rats by regulating the HMGB1/TLR4/NF‑κB signaling pathway T2 - Molecular Medicine Reports TI - Cryptotanshinone alleviates polycystic ovary syndrome in rats by regulating the HMGB1/TLR4/NF‑κB signaling pathway UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2020.11469 VL - 22 ER -