A Senior Capstone Experience by Avery-Grey Dos Santos ’23

Submitted to the Department of Biology

Advised by Dr. Verville

Contributor Biography: Avery-Grey Dos Santos, class of ’23, is a recent graduate who majored in Biology with a concentration in Physiology and Organismal biology and a minor in Secondary Education. They are a passionate baker, love to crochet, and currently work at a school for students with language learning disabilities. Avery-Grey hopes to take everything they have learned at Washington College into their career as a middle and high school Biology teacher.

Description: PCOS is a complex syndrome including the dysfunction of hormones and the development of cysts on the ovaries. Insulin resistance is a common side effect of PCOS and is caused by oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruptions to the insulin signaling pathway. This thesis is a summary of research outlining potential treatments for PCOS-associated insulin resistance and how these treatments target specific mechanisms within PCOS pathology that cause insulin resistance. Ellagic acid is an antioxidant found in fruits that has been shown to decrease inflammatory factors that contribute to insulin resistance. Metformin is a drug that regulates insulin in type 2 diabetes and has been shown to increase GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake within the cell by improving signaling of insulin sensitizing proteins. Berberine is a compound found in traditional Chinese medicine that has shown to improve the PI3K signaling pathway activated by insulin.

Read Avery-Grey’s SCE below: