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. 2010 Jul;17(4):741-8.
doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3181d20cd2.

The effect of diet and cardiovascular risk on ovarian aging in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Susan E Appt  1 , Haiying Chen, Amanda K Goode, Patricia B Hoyer, Thomas B Clarkson, Michael R Adams, Mark E Wilson, Adrian A Franke, Jay R Kaplan
Affiliations

The effect of diet and cardiovascular risk on ovarian aging in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Susan E Appt et al. Menopause. 2010 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationships among dietary protein source, cardiovascular risk, reproductive hormones, and ovarian aging.

Methods: Adult female cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were assigned randomly to one of two diets containing saturated fat and cholesterol, differing only by protein source: (1) casein-lactalbumin (n = 29) or (2) soy protein with isoflavones (n = 32). Cardiovascular risk markers and reproductive hormones were measured at baseline and after 32 months of treatment, at which time the ovaries were removed and serially sectioned and ovarian follicles were counted in every 100th section.

Results: Casein-lactalbumin-fed monkeys had fewer primordial, primary, and secondary follicles (all P values < 0.05) than did their soy-fed counterparts. Antimüllerian hormone was significantly correlated with all follicle types (r values > or = 0.66, P < 0.001) for casein-fed monkeys and was significantly correlated with primary (rsoy = 0.47, P = 0.005) and secondary (rsoy = 0.45, P = 0.007) follicles in soy-fed monkeys. No significant associations were seen between any of the other reproductive hormones measured and follicle counts. Casein-lactalbumin-fed monkeys had a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile and increased atherosclerosis extent (P < 0.05), but despite these differences in cardiovascular risk between monkeys fed with casein-lactalbumin and monkeys fed with soy, none of the individual cardiovascular risk markers measured in this study explained the relationship between dietary protein source and follicle counts (linear regression, all P values > 0.05).

Conclusions: Diet influences the rate of follicular depletion in cynomolgus macaques; however, the mechanism for this effect remains undetermined.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Composition of both diets used in the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean number of primordial, primary, and secondary follicles counted in each diet group after 32 months of treatment. Numbers are expressed as the square root transformation ± SE. CL group, n=29; soy group, n=32.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean (± SE) AMH concentrations for each diet group at baseline and after 32 months of treatment (i.e., at the time of ovariectomy / iliac artery atherosclerosis measurement). CL group, n=29; soy group, n=32.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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