Diabetes (db/db) mutation-induced ovarian involution: progressive hypercytolipidemia

Ovarian atrophy and reproductive tract incompetence are recognized consequences of the progressive expression of the overt, diabetes-obesity syndrome (DOS) in C57BL/KsJ (db/db) mutant mice. The present studies evaluated the progressive changes in ovarian cytoarchitecture, endocrine expression, and reproductive tract cytolipidemic parameters that promote reproductive failure and ovarian involution during the pre-onset, initial, progressive, and chronic expression stages of the DOS. Paired littermate control (normal: +/?) and diabetic (mutant: db/db) C57BL/KsJ females were selected for analysis of ovarian parameters at 2 weeks (pre-onset expression of DOS), 4 weeks (initial DOS expression), 8 weeks (progressive DOS: hyper-glycemic/lipidemic), and 16 weeks (overt/chronic DOS expression) of age. All 4- to 16-week-old (db/db) groups were obese, hyperglycemic, and hyperinsulinemic as compared with age-matched (+/?) controls. Prior to phenotypic expression of the DOS (2 week groups), ovarian interstitial cytolipidemia characterized the perifollicular and cortical regions of db/db tissue samples relative to +/? indices, while comparable body weight, blood glucose, as well as serum insulin and ovarian steroid hormone concentrations characterized both the +/? and db/db groups. Overt DOS expression in the 4-week-old db/db groups was characterized by body obesity, systemic hyperglycemia-hyperinsulinemia, and extensive hypercytolipidemia of ovarian folliculothecal compartments, as well as enhanced tissue lipase activities. By 8 weeks of age, progressive hypercytolipidemia characterized interstitial, thecal, and follicular granulosa cell layers of db/db tissue samples concurrent with suppressed ovarian steroid hormone production, enhanced lipid sequestration, and exacerbation of systemic hyper-glycemia/insulinemia. By 16 weeks of age, the chronic-DOS was characterized by extensive ovarian follicular involution, cortical perivascular hyperlipidemic infiltration, thecal cell atrophy, and follicular granulosa lipid imbibition. These data indicate that db/db mutation-induced ovarian structural and functional involution is a direct reflection of the cellular metabolic shift towards lipogenesis, indicated by the progressive cytoarchitectural transformation into adipocyte-like entities. The cytological indications of cellular metabolic compromise, which precede the phenotypic expression of the DOS indices, suggests that correction of these abnormal shifts in ovarian endocrine and cellular metabolism may restore, delay, or prevent the further compromise of ovarian function by db/db mutation expression.