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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Reproduction
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1484939
This article is part of the Research Topic Nervous System and Reproduction: A Highly Integrative Partnership View all 5 articles

Metabolic control of ovarian function through the sympathetic nervous system: Role of Leptin

Provisionally accepted
Camila Astudillo-Guerrero Camila Astudillo-Guerrero 1Alfonso Humberto Paredes Alfonso Humberto Paredes 2Jorge Escobar Jorge Escobar 3Daniela Fernandois Daniela Fernandois 4Rafael Antonio Barra Rafael Antonio Barra 5*Gonzalo Cruz Gonzalo Cruz 1*
  • 1 Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaíso, Chile
  • 2 Laboratory of Neurobiochemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Faculty of chemistry and Pharmacelutical Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • 3 Labortorio de Quimica Biológica, Instituto de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), Valparaiso, Chile
  • 4 Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, EGID, DISTALZ, F-59000 Lille, France., Lille, France
  • 5 Centro de Investigación Biomédica y Aplicada (CIBAP), Escuela de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM), Chile

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The link between metabolism and reproduction is well-known. Both undernutrition and obesity affect the reproductive system. Metabolic status influences reproductive physiology by regulating gonadotropin secretion and affecting reproductive organs through hormonal signals. On the other hand, the autonomic nervous system controls follicle development and ovulation in the female reproductive system. This system is regulated by hypothalamic areas associated with metabolism as the Arcuate nuclei (ARC) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN). Metabolic signals, such as nutrients and hormones, acting on the hypothalamus may play a crucial role in modulating sympathetic innervation of the ovary and other reproductive organs. Some of these hormones are leptin, insulin, and GLP-1 that act directly in the hypothalamus to activate the sympathetic nervous system. In this minireview, we propose that leptin could be an important regulator of sympathetic innervation in reproductive tissues. Leptin may affect the density or activity of sympathetic nerves, thereby affecting reproductive function. We also speculate that other hormones such as insulin and GLP-1 may activate sympathetic nerves to the ovary. Additionally, we explore how early-onset obesity can cause lasting changes in the autonomic control of metabolic and reproductive organs, especially in the ovary. This suggests that the hyperactivation of sympathetic nerves in adulthood, due to metabolic programming, could be a possible cause of reproductive and metabolic disorders, such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

    Keywords: sympathetic, Ovary, Leptin, Hypothalamus, metabolic. (Min.5-Max. 8)

    Received: 22 Aug 2024; Accepted: 26 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Astudillo-Guerrero, Paredes, Escobar, Fernandois, Barra and Cruz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Rafael Antonio Barra, Centro de Investigación Biomédica y Aplicada (CIBAP), Escuela de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM), Chile
    Gonzalo Cruz, Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaíso, Chile

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