Abstract: Characterized by hyperandrogen, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine dysfunction in women, with relatively high incidence as well as incurability. However, due to its high heterogeneity, there is no clear mechanism for its pathogenesis and thus the treatment keeps hovering at the stage of symptom-oriented medication. Positively, some results over the past few years have indicated that there were abnormal acetylation changes in ovarian cells of PCOS patients, which were originated from the imbalance of histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase. Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) is a histone deacetylase that can be activated by resveratrol to reduce the level of acetylation of the corresponding histones. Meanwhile, resveratrol can also rely on inhibition of oxidative stress, regulation of androgen and estrogen levels and other pathways to alleviate PCOS-related symptoms. This review focuses on the regulation mechanisms of resveratrol, an agonist of the deacetylase SIRT1, on the abnormal acetylation of ovarian in hyperandrogen-induced PCOS, and restoring mechanisms of ovarian dysfunctions by resveratrol, expecting for potential application of resveratrol in clinical treatment of PCOS.

Key words: Polycystic ovary syndrome, Resveratrol, Acetylation, Silent information regulator 1, Hyperandrogenism