The RolE oF Androgen Excess in MUscle Energy MetaboLism in Women With PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome (REFUEL PCOS) Study 2

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Trial end date: 2025-09-01

Summary

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 10% of all women, and it usually co-exists with high levels of sex hormones called androgens, such as testosterone. Women with PCOS are at increased risk of metabolic complications such as diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high blood pressure and heart disease. However, very little is understood about how androgen excess may drive the metabolic complications observed in women with PCOS.

Skeletal muscle is an important site of energy metabolism; increasingly, it is suspected that skeletal muscle energy balance is adversely impacted by androgens, thereby driving metabolic complications. To take this theory forward, we want to investigate the effects of androgens on muscle energy metabolism. We will perform detailed metabolic testing (including blood tests and muscle biopsies) in women with PCOS before and after taking tablets that block the action of testosterone for 28 days. In addition, we will be using a gold standard technique to see how women with PCOS metabolise fat and other nutrients by measuring markers in blood and breath samples after a breakfast test meal. This clinical research will increase our understanding of the complex relationships between hormonal abnormalities and metabolic disease in women with PCOS.

• Phase: N/A

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
• Collaborators: University College Dublin; University of Birmingham; University of Liverpool; University of Oxford
• Treatments: Bicalutamide