Malaria drug shows promise in treating polycystic ovary syndrome

A drug already used to treat malaria may also be effective in treating polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

A small study of 19 women with PCOS found that the commonly used drug artemisinin improved menstrual cycle regularity and reduced high testosterone levels that are common in PCOS patients.

The underlying cause of PCOS is unknown, but it is linked to several hormonal imbalances, including excess testosterone produced by the ovaries, which can lead to symptoms like irregular menstrual periods, infertility, and increased acne and body hair.

Affected people also tend to have reduced sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that regulates sugar, which leads to weight gain and exacerbates the hormonal imbalance.

Currently, PCOS patients are treated individually depending on their symptoms, for example undergoing laser treatments to remove body hair or taking birth control pills to regularize menstruation.

While investigating the effects of various drugs on fat cells in mice, Chi Kun Tang Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, found that artemisinin reduced symptoms in mice with PCOS-like conditions.

His team then gave 19 women with PCOS artemisinin for three months and found that all of them experienced a drop in testosterone levels, and most also saw a reduction in another substance called anti-Müllerian hormone. Associated with PCOSTwelve of the participants also experienced more regular menstrual cycles after taking the drug.

In other studies using mouse and human cells, the team found that artemisinin could reduce testosterone production in the ovaries.

Stephen Franks The Imperial College London researcher says that although the 19 women had a healthy BMI on average, weight loss tends to reduce PCOS symptoms, suggesting that artemisinin may work through another mechanism: improving insulin sensitivity. “If the results are as positive in a randomized trial as they are in this pilot study, it would be exciting,” he says.

Elisabeth Stener-Victorin Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, say the fact that artemisinin is already generally safe when used to treat malaria means that it could soon be repurposed as a new treatment for PCOS.