One of the key drivers of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is androgen excess, which results in symptoms such as metabolic dysfunction, impaired ovulation and endometrial diseases. A new study in Science investigated the potential for artemisinin, an anti-malaria drug derived from Artemisia plants, and its analogues to reduce androgen levels in women with PCOS and improve PCOS symptoms.

The researchers then looked into the mechanisms that drive this reduction in androgen synthesis. “Quantitative proteomics analysis revealed CYP11A1, the enzyme catalysing the initial step of androgen synthesis, as the most significantly decreased protein affected by artemisinins”, says corresponding author Qi-Qun Tang. They determined that artemisinins bind to the mitochondrial protease LONP1. This binding increases the interaction of LONP1 with CYP11A1, which resulted in increased degradation of CYP11A1, and so reduced androgen synthesis.