Polycystic ovarian syndrome: A review covering phytoconstituents for its outstrip management

Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a multifactorial disease affecting women of all age groups in reproductive age and post-menopausal women. It is associated with a large range of clinical manifestations. Medical treatment depends on the symptoms observed, and the most common symptoms addressed in the case of PCOS are infertility, hirsutism, menstrual disorders, and obesity. There are significantly fewer therapies that can work on many symptoms, and the most difficult one is to treat infertility and hirsutism together, leading to a very hectic, tedious, and frustrating therapeutic period for patients. Current treatments are associated with severe side effects, including visual disturbance, hot flushes, abdominal distension, mood swings associated with clomiphene citrate, while polymenorrhagia with spironolactone. Thus, phytoconstituents and lifestyle modification can be considered as a safe and effective treatment approach for PCOS management as are free from serious adverse effects and can work out at multiple targets simultaneously. The research reports have demonstrated the fact that phytoconstituents like curcumin, resveratrol, and berberine have great potential in reducing insulin resistance, modulating L.H. to FSH ratio, and reducing metabolic syndromes associated with the disease. The results obtained revealed that these phytoconstituents have comparable results with first-line drugs such as clomiphene and metformin in improving fertility, reducing obesity, and regularizing the menstrual cycle. The present review covers the pathophysiology of PCOS, the current treatment approach and their drawbacks, detailed preclinical and clinical studies phytoconstituents that have proven potential in managing PCOS symptoms along with their regulatory aspects.

Keywords

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Phytoconstituents
• Curcumin
• Berberine
• Resveratrol
• Apigenin