Human Reproduction, Vol. 11, No. 11, pp. 2377-2381, 1996
© 1996 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
research-article |
Endocrinology: Acarbose reduces elevated testosterone serum concentrations in hyperinsulinaemic premenopausal women: a pilot study*
1Institute of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse 168, D-79098 Freiburg 2Department of Clinical Endocrinology, Centrum of Internal Medicine and Dermatology Medizinische Hochschule, Hannover, Germany
Correspondence: 3To whom correspondence should be addressed
In seven hyperinsulinaemic, hypertestosteronaemic premenopausal patients, we tested the effect of an attenuation of insulin serum concentrations by long-term treatment with the enteral disaccharidase inhibitor acarbose on serum concentrations of total and free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). The subjects showed typical features of hyperinsulinaemia-hypertestosteronaemia syndrome, including elevated concentrations of insulin and testosterone, normal concentrations of DHEAS and suppressed SHBG concentrations. The patients were orally treated with an initial dosage of 50 mg acarbose/day, which was gradually increased to a maximum of 300 mg/day. Blood was sampled at week 6 (under a dosage of 150 mg acarbose/day) and at week 20 of treatment A significant reduction in the increase of glucose and insulin concentrations, determined after administration of a standard oral 100 g glucose load, was found at week 6 (P < 0.02, P < 0.00007) and at week 20 (P < 0.04, P < 0.003) of therapy and was associated with a significant decrease of total and free testosterone at week 20 (P < 0.04, P < 0.01). Concentrations of both DHEAS and SHBG remained nearly unchanged. In conclusion, it was shown that a decline of ovarian hypertestosteronaemia was achieved in association with a flattening of the postprandial glucose and insulin increase by long-term treatment with acarbose. Side effects were limited to abdominal distension and flatulence and were absent using a low dosage of 50 mg acarbose/meal (3x50 mg/day).
Key words: acarbose/insulin/PCOD/testosterone
*Some of the data from this study were demonstrated at the XIth ESHRE meeting, Hamburg, Germany, June 28-July 1, 1995 and at the Diabetes Dreiländer-Tagung, Basle, Switzerland, May 15–18, 1996.
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