Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a key regulator of preantral follicle development. In human polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) hyperandrogenism drives antral follicle excess, and is associated with elevated AMH levels. It is currently unknown if androgens regulate AMH secretion.

Objective and hypothesis: To provide insights into the regulation of AMH action, we hypothesized that dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the most potent androgen, stimulates AMH production in preantral follicles.

Methods: We cultured day 5 CD1 mouse ovaries, containing mostly primordial and preantral follicles, with DHT supplementation vs control. After 4 days of culture, medium was collected for protein analysis and ovaries for RNA analysis and histology. We performed follicle counting, qRT-PCR for mRNA levels of AMH, AMH measurements by ELISA and AMH-immunofluorescence.

Results: In the employed culture model, using DHT at physiological concentrations of 1×10⁻⁷ and 1×10⁻⁸ M, DHT does not increase the preantral follicle pool, neither upregulate mRNA levels for AMH. Protein levels for AMH were similar in control and treatment conditions, and no dose-dependant DHT effect was observed.

Conclusion: In mice, AMH expression appears not to be regulated by androgens. In contrast to women, mice lack adrenal androgen synthesis and are poly-ovulators. These data suggest that the mouse ovarian model might be inadequate to study the role of androgens in preantral follicle development, and generate data that are translatable to the human.