A Paradox: The Roles of Inositolphosphoglycans in mediating insulin sensitivity and Hyperandrogenism in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Abstract

Current evidence suggests that insulin resistance contributes to the pathophysiologic features of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The observation that insulin resistance is a central feature of PCOS leads to studies of the insulin signaling system in this disorder. This article reviews the possible role of pu-tative insulin mediators, inositolphosphoglycans (IPG) mediators, in PCOS. We will focus on how IPGs me-diate (a) hyperandrogenism and (b) insulin sensitivi-ty in this disorder.