Glucose homeostasis in rats treated with 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide is not worsened by dexamethasone treatment

[Display omitted] •4-VCD administered early in life causes ovary hypofunction in adult rats.•GC side effects on glucose metabolism are not aggravated by ovarian failure in rats.•Ovarian failure is not the sole factor mediating metabolic disturbances during aging. 4-vinilcyclohexene diepoxide (4-VCD) causes premature ovarian failure and may result in estrogen deficiency, characterizing the transition to estropause in rodents (equivalent to menopause in women). Estropause/menopause is associated with metabolic derangements such as glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are known to exert diabetogenic effects. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether rats with premature ovarian failure are more prone to the diabetogenic effects of GC. For this, immature female rats received daily injections of 4-VCD [160mg/kg body weight (b.w.), intraperitoneally (i.p.)] for 15 consecutive days, whereas control rats received vehicle. After 168days of the completion of 4-VCD administration, rats were divided into 4 groups: CTL—received daily injections of saline (1mL/kg, b.w., i.p.) for 5days; DEX—received daily injections of dexamethasone (1mg/kg, b.w., i.p.) for 5days; VCD—treated as CTL group; VCD+DEX—treated as DEX group. Experiments and euthanasia occurred one day after the last dexamethasone injection. 4-VCD-treated rats exhibited ovary hypotrophy and reduced number of preantral follicles (p