Therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of caffeine on obese polycystic ovary syndrome: bioinformatic analysis and experimental validation

The risk of PCOS is significantly increased in obese women, and studies have shown that weight loss can improve symptoms of PCOS. Coffee has been shown to be effective in reducing body weight. In this study, we focused on the SLC16A6 gene using bioinformatics and searched for coffee and its monomers using reverse network pharmacology. The gene expression omnibus (GEO) database was searched to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in PCOS patients. Gene ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were then performed. The effects of caffeine on body weight, estrous cycle, ovarian pathology, serum insulin concentration and insulin resistance index, and SLC16A6 transporter gene expression in ovarian tissue of obese PCOS rats were monitored. The common differentially expressed gene SLC16A6 was identified in this study, and animal experiments confirmed the efficacy of caffeine in the treatment of obese PCOS rats. Caffeine can effectively improve the symptoms of obese PCOS rats. The mechanism by which caffeine can treat obese patients with PCOS is related to increasing the expression of the SLC16A6 gene.