Elucidating metformin action on the ovary and fertility in healthy mice

The hypoglycemic drug metformin has shown reproductive effects in women, although its mechanism of action is not fully understood. In this study, we demonstrate the direct effects of metformin on the ovary of healthy mice, with no alterations in fertility.

Metformin is a hypoglycemic drug widely used in type-2 diabetes (T2D) patients. In recent years, this drug has been suggested as a treatment for gestational diabetes and recommended to women with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (PCOS) to increase the chances of pregnancy or avoid early miscarriages. However, the exact effects of metformin on the female reproductive tract in general, and on the ovary in particular, are still not completely understood. In this study, we analyzed the effect of metformin on fertility and ovarian physiology in healthy female mice. We found that this drug altered the estrous cycle, early follicular development, serum estradiol and progesterone levels, and ovarian steroidogenic enzyme expression. Moreover, ovarian angiogenesis was lower in metformin-treated animals compared with untreated ones, whereas natural or gonadotropin-induced fertilization rates remained unchanged. However, offspring of metformin-treated animals displayed decreased body weight at birth. In this work, we unraveled the main effects of metformin on the ovary, isolated from other conditions such as hyperglycemia and hyperandrogenism, which is essential for a better understanding of metformin's mechanisms of action on reproduction and fertility.