Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a well-known reproductive syndrome usually associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia. Although the first signs of PCOS begin early in adolescence, it is underexplored whether peripubertal obesity predisposes women to PCOS metabolic disturbances. To highlight that, we examined the impact of postnatal overfeeding-induced obesity, achieved by litter size reduction during the suckling period, on metabolic disturbances associated with visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT) function in the 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT)-induced animal model of PCOS. We analyzed markers of insulin signaling, lipid metabolism, and energy sensing in the VAT and SAT. Our results showed that postnatally overfed DHT-treated Wistar rats had increased VAT mass with hypertrophic adipocytes, together with hyperinsulinemia and increased HOMA index. In the VAT of these animals, insulin signaling remained unchanged while lipogenic markers decreased, which was accompanied by increased AMPK activation. In the SAT of the same animals, markers of lipogenesis and lipolysis increased, while the activity of AMPK decreased. Taken together, obtained results showed that postnatal overfeeding predisposes development of PCOS systemic insulin resistance, most likely as a result of worsened metabolic function of SAT, while VAT preserved its tissue insulin sensitivity through increased activity of AMPK.
Keywords: 5α-dihydrotestosterone; AMP-activated kinase; early postnatal overfeeding; insulin resistance; lipogenesis; lipolysis; obesity; polycystic ovary syndrome; subcutaneous adipose tissue; visceral adipose tissue.