the impact of physical activity on homa-ir values and ovarian follicle dynamics in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome

Background & objective: polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) is an endocrine disorder marked by insulin resistance and impaired folliculogenesis. exercise may alleviate these disruptions; however, its effectiveness remains under investigation. the present study was conducted with aim to determine the impact of physical activity on homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (homa-ir) levels and the development of ovarian follicles in rats with pcos triggered by a diet high in sugar and cholic acid.materials & methods: this randomised posttest-only control group study was conducted on 45 wistar rats, divided into three groups: control, pcos without exercise (p0), and pcos with exercise (p1). pcos was induced by administering a diet containing 32% sucrose and 40% cholic acid for 4 weeks. the p1 group underwent swimming exercises with a 6% body weight load for 4 weeks. the data were analysed using anova, kruskal-wallis, and correlation tests. p<0.05 was considered significant.results: the pcos groups exhibited significantly higher homa-ir levels than the control group (p=0.000). although exercise reduced homa-ir, the decrease was not statistically significant (p=0.976). pcos rats showed follicle development, as evidenced by significantly fewer primary, secondary, tertiary, and de graaf follicles. exercise significantly improved the number of secondary (p=0.007), tertiary (p=0.001), and de graaf follicles (p=0.000), but not primary follicles or corpora lutea (p>0.05).conclusion: insulin resistance impairs folliculogenesis in pcos patients. exercise may promote follicular maturation. the high-sucrose and cholic acid model may represent a promising tool for pcos research.