ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1642095
Clinical Symptom Improvement and Lipidomic Signatures in Overweight/Obese PCOS Treated by Lifestyle and Acupuncture Intervention
Provisionally accepted
Hao-Lin Zhang1
Wenmin Tian2Dong Li1
Yang Chen2
Yang Ye1Zejun Huo1Li Shi1Ii Fukuzawa1Shuhan Yang1Yang Yang1
Hua Zhang1
Lin Zeng1Xiyan Xin1Chunyong Wang1Wen Ma2
Weiyu Qiu1Zhihui Qi1Heng Dai1Na Li1
Haining Wang1*
Rong Li1*- 1Peking University Third Hospital, Haidian, China
- 2Peking University, Beijing, China
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Background: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is interrelated with obesity. Lifestyle intervention, mainly focusing on weight loss, has emerged as promising strategies to improve fertility outcomes in women with obesity. Acupuncture can aid in weight loss through metabolic regulation. However, evaluating the effectiveness of lifestyle and acupuncture in improving symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome is still lacking. Results: this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of long-term lifestyle and acupuncture treatment on PCOS and elucidate the lipidomic features of these interventions in patients with overweight/obese PCOS, and identify potential therapeutic targets. Thirty-one women with PCOS and twenty-eight age and BMI matched controls were recruited. The participants with PCOS were randomly assigned to either Lifestyle and acupuncture intervention group (A&L) or Lifestyle and sham acupuncture group (SA&L) for 4 months. The patients were followed up for an additional 4 months. Clinical indices indicating hyperandrogenism, homeostasis and quality of life was collected to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments. Comprehensive lipidomic analyses by utilizing mass spectrometry were conducted to profile the lipidomic signatures of participants with PCOS before and after treatment. After the A&L intervention, the BMI of participants with PCOS was significantly reduced. Assessments of insulin resistance (HbA1c, HOMA-IR, ISI), hyperandrogenism (SHBG, FAI), physical activity, and β-endorphin showed significant improvement. Lipidomic analysis revealed a panel of lipid species that effectively distinguished participants with PCOS from those without PCOS (AUC=0.9747). Serum 18:0 Lyso PI, involved in intracellular insulin signaling pathways, was specifically associated with the A&L regimen. The co-regulation of 18:0 Lyso PI and 16:0 SM (d18:1/16:0) were associated with the A&L regimen. Conclusions: 18:0 Lyso PI may be a potential biomarker for A&L therapy in PCOS patients.
Keywords: Lifestyle and acupuncture intervention, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Body mass index (BMI), Insulin Resistance, lipidomic
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 11 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Tian, Li, Chen, Ye, Huo, Shi, Fukuzawa, Yang, Yang, Zhang, Zeng, Xin, Wang, Ma, Qiu, Qi, Dai, Li, Wang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Haining Wang, Peking University Third Hospital, Haidian, China
Rong Li, Peking University Third Hospital, Haidian, China
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