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Treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome with spironolactone plus licorice.

AbstractOBJECTIVE:
The aim of the study was to compare the effect of spironolactone (antagonist of mineralocorticoid and androgen receptors) versus spironolactone plus licorice (agonist of mineralocorticoid receptors and mild inhibitor of androgen synthesis) on plasma renin activity, aldosterone and androgen levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
STUDY DESIGN:
Thirty-two women with PCOS were divided into two groups: 16 received 100 mg spironolactone and 16 spironolactone plus 3.5 g of licorice a day. Blood pressure, body mass index, serum electrolytes, plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone and cortisol, serum testosterone, and urinary tetrahydrocortisol/tetrahydrocortisone ratio were measured before and during treatment.
RESULTS:
Mean blood pressure was significantly reduced during spironolactone treatment, while it was unchanged in women receiving spironolactone plus licorice. Twenty percent of women treated with spironolactone and none treated with the addition of licorice complained of symptoms related to volume depletion. Consistently, the activation of the renin-aldosterone system was significantly lower during spironolactone plus licorice than with spironolactone alone. The prevalence of metrorrhagia was lower in the combined therapy.
CONCLUSIONS:
In patients with PCOS the mineralocorticoid properties of licorice can reduce the prevalence of side effects related to the diuretic activity of spironolactone.
AuthorsDecio Armanini, Roberto Castello, Carla Scaroni, Guglielmo Bonanni, Gianbattista Faccini, Donatella Pellati, Alessandro Bertoldo, Cristina Fiore, Paolo Moghetti
JournalEuropean journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology (Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol) Vol. 131 Issue 1 Pg. 61-67 (Mar 2007) ISSN: 0301-2115 [Print] Ireland
PMID17113210 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article)
Chemical References
  • Androgens
  • Diuretics
  • Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists
  • Mineralocorticoids
  • Receptors, Mineralocorticoid
  • Spironolactone
  • Aldosterone
  • Renin
Topics
  • Adult
  • Aldosterone (metabolism)
  • Androgens (metabolism)
  • Blood Pressure (physiology)
  • Diuretics (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Glycyrrhiza
  • Humans
  • Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
  • Mineralocorticoids (antagonists & inhibitors)
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (drug therapy, metabolism, physiopathology)
  • Receptors, Mineralocorticoid (agonists)
  • Renin (blood)
  • Renin-Angiotensin System (physiology)
  • Spironolactone (adverse effects, therapeutic use)

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