Theca Cell Function in Adolescents With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

April 22, 2019 updated by: Jeffrey Chang, MD, University of California, San Diego
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the cardinal physiological abnormality is excessive ovarian androgen production marked by increased serum testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) levels. Studies to determine the alteration in ovarian steroidogenesis that lead to abnormal production of ovarian androgens have revealed increased CYP17 gene expression with accentuated 17-hydroxylase activity leading to exaggerated 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17P) responses to luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulation. In contrast, T and A responses did not distinguish between PCOS and normal women, although these androgens were clearly greater in the former compared to the latter group. As a result, 17P responsiveness has been employed to determine the functional capacity of the ovary to produce androgens. The stimulatory agents that have been used included GnRH agonist, Lupron, at a dose of 10 microgram per kilogram, or hCG at a dose of 10,000 IU. The investigators propose to conduct a study that will determine the pattern of androgen responsiveness to 25ucg of hCG after 24 hours in adolescents with PCOS, those with oligomenorrhea, and in normal controls. This will allow for a comparison of these adolescents' ovarian functional capacity to produce androgens.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the cardinal physiological abnormality is excessive ovarian androgen production marked by increased serum testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) levels. Studies to determine the alteration in ovarian steroidogenesis that lead to abnormal production of ovarian androgens have revealed increased CYP17 gene expression with accentuated 17-hydroxylase activity leading to exaggerated 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17P) responses to luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulation. In contrast, T and A responses did not distinguish between PCOS and normal women, although these androgens were clearly greater in the former compared to the latter group. As a result, 17P responsiveness has been employed to determine the functional capacity of the ovary to produce androgens. The stimulatory agents that have been used included GnRH agonist, Lupron, at a dose of 10 microgram per kilogram, or hCG at a dose of 10,000 IU.We propose to conduct a study that will determine the pattern of androgen responsiveness to 25ucg of hCG after 24 hours in adolescents with PCOS, those with oligomenorrhea, and in normal controls. This will allow for a comparison of these adolescents' ovarian functional capacity to produce androgens.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

24

Phase

  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • La Jolla, California, United States, 92093
        • UCSD School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

8 years to 14 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Normal CBC (Hemoglobin must be at least 11mg/dl)
  • Normal renal and liver function tests
  • Normal vital signs including normal blood pressure

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy
  • On oral contraceptives
  • On insulin lowering drugs
  • On anti-androgens (i.e., spironolactone, flutamide, finasteride, etc)
  • On medications that will influence androgen metabolism or clearance
  • On medications that will inhibit the cytochrome P450 enzyme system (Cimetidine, ketoconazole, etc)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: PCOS group
Intervention: Each subject in the PCOS group will receive 1 mg of oral dexamethasone in the evening and return in the morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin. Subjects will also have blood drawn at times -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after the injection of r-hCG for measurement of steroid hormones.
Drug: Dexamethasone
Each subject in each group will receive 1 mg of oral dexamethasone in the evening and return in the morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin. Subjects will also have blood drawn at times -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after the injection of r-hCG for measurement of steroid hormones.
Other Names:
  • recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG)
Drug: recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG)
Each subject in each group will receive 1 mg of oral dexamethasone in the evening and return in the morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG). Subjects will also have blood drawn at times -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after the injection of r-hCG for measurement of steroid hormones.
Other Names:
  • Ovidrel
Experimental: Normal group
Intervention: Each subject in the Normal group will receive dexamethasone 1 mg orally in the evening and return the next morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin. Subjects will the have blood drawn at -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after hCG injection for steroid hormone measurements.
Drug: Dexamethasone
Each subject in each group will receive 1 mg of oral dexamethasone in the evening and return in the morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin. Subjects will also have blood drawn at times -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after the injection of r-hCG for measurement of steroid hormones.
Other Names:
  • recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG)
Drug: recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG)
Each subject in each group will receive 1 mg of oral dexamethasone in the evening and return in the morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG). Subjects will also have blood drawn at times -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after the injection of r-hCG for measurement of steroid hormones.
Other Names:
  • Ovidrel
Experimental: Oligomenorrhea group
Intervention: Each subject in the Oligomenorrhea group will receive dexamethasone 1 mg orally in the evening and return the next morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin. Subjects will the have blood drawn at -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after hCG injection for steroid hormone measurements.
Drug: Dexamethasone
Each subject in each group will receive 1 mg of oral dexamethasone in the evening and return in the morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin. Subjects will also have blood drawn at times -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after the injection of r-hCG for measurement of steroid hormones.
Other Names:
  • recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG)
Drug: recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG)
Each subject in each group will receive 1 mg of oral dexamethasone in the evening and return in the morning for an injection of 25ug of IV recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG). Subjects will also have blood drawn at times -0.5, 0, 0.5, and 24 hours after the injection of r-hCG for measurement of steroid hormones.
Other Names:
  • Ovidrel

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
17OHP Levels After hCG
Time Frame: 24 hours
Assess serum levels of 17OHP after stimulation with recombinant hCG
24 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Testosterone
Time Frame: 24 hours
Assess seruim levels of testosterone after stimulation with recombinant hCG
24 hours
Androstenedione
Time Frame: 24 hours
Assess serum levels of androstenedione after stimaultion with recombinant hCG
24 hours
DHEA
Time Frame: 24 hours
Assess serum levels of DHEA after stimulation with recombinant hCG
24 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Collaborators

University of Virginia

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: R. Jeffery Chang, M.D., UCSD School of Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

August 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 29, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 29, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

June 30, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 30, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 22, 2019

Last Verified

April 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 081696

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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